Learning to Live Again
by Tattooed.Mommy.To.Be
Summary: Someone Kurama thought to be dead comes forward with news that will change everything. They're be thrust into fighting for their lives again. Centers around Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei. I do NOT own YYH! Please read, review! Rated for blood, language, violence.
1. Chapter 1: What's Mine is Now Yours

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: The only pairing so far is Kuwabara x Yukina, though it won't be that prevalent through the story. Possibly other pairings later on, also possible additions of other characters of my own creation. Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :) Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter One: _**What's Mine is Now Yours**_

Late October saw the first snow of a young winter. Throughout the three vastly different worlds, it seemed one thing usually overlapped. The weather. Rain or shine, snow or wind, the three worlds' skies always seemed to be in tune with one another, especially the closer it was to the border. Each member of Team Urameshi found themselves thoughtful beneath the thick clouds.

Kurama was looking forward to a fall break in his college load. With each passing day, he was more firmly considering leaving it all behind and going back to Demon World. He missed Hiei. He missed Yusuke. He missed the action, the excitement, the rush. But, then, there was always his mother. He couldn't bare to cause her the heartache that was sure to come if he told her he was leaving and quitting school. Besides, there was only this semester and next before he was done. He thought it would be more wise to just stick through it, at this point. And yet... the nagging feeling just wouldn't let up.

Yusuke still didn't regret his decision to leave behind the world that had been his home for the majority of his life. The call of the wild lands he was lord over was just too strong for him to resist. He was homesick, sure; he missed Kurama, Kuwabara, Keiko, hell, even his mother. He just didn't miss them enough to move back there. He visited every few months, and Kurama was frequent in his Demon World visits. Yusuke always made sure a room in his fortress was ready for the kitsune whenever he needed it. All those who had been loyal to Raizen had finally taken to Yusuke. He was now truly their rightful leader. No more was the awkward boy with a bad mouth and a short fuse. Kurama always told him that eventually he would rub off on Yusuke, and it seemed it was true. Finally.

Hiei couldn't be happier. Finally, for the first time, in as long as he could remember, he had a place in life, a purpose. Not a purpose forced upon him, either. He did miss the fox, and the Detective, but they had plenty of frequent visits, especially Yusuke, as he often had business with one of his fellow Makai rulers, Mukuro. Since Hiei was Mukuro's heir, he was able to see and visit with Yusuke almost every time he came by. The young lord was truly shaping up, Hiei believed. He had already surpassed Raizen in the number of loyal followers, and it seemed the vast majority of the young ruler's lands were flourishing more than anyone could remember. As Mukuro's heir, Hiei had a relatively free rein over most of her fortress, though he usually contented himself as her first general. It gave him everything he had hungered over: power.

Kuwabara, too, was finally content. Though he had always loved the adventures with the gang, the quiet life of college was exactly what he wanted. His biggest worry was being able to cram enough studying for his full class load and still be able to see Yukina on the weekends. Keiko was a fantastic study-buddy and had really been saving his ass throughout the school year. For all the hurt she felt over the fact that Yusuke had broken them up for good and left for Demon World, she never took it out on Kuwabara. However, he was careful not to bring up the toushin lord in front of her, if he could help it. He had not gone back to Demon World, after Sensui, not even once. His home, life, and happiness was here, in Nengenkai, and he didn't want anything to change the casual ease of it all. No more missions, no more facing down death, no more fear.

Yusuke opened his eyes to gaze out the window closest to his bed. It was early, much earlier than he usually woke up, but all traces of sleep were gone, so he leapt lightly from the sheets and strode to the bathroom. He started a shower as he stripped. Hiei would be arriving around nightfall. Excitement and maybe even a little nervousness skittered across his mind as he jumped into the warm water. They had mutually decided that Hiei should make a link with the toushin's mind. Hiei warned him it would be painful to first make the connection, but over time, it would be priceless in its usefulness to them. If either needed anything of the other, it would take virtually no time to pass messages. Yusuke had shrugged, "I can handle a little discomfort, especially if it'll help me in long run." So, they set a time, and Hiei had sent for Kurama just in case his skills were required.

Kurama had readily agreed; he'd been looking for an excuse to escape. He was also interested in helping his two best friends with this new endeavor. He would not soon forget the night he, himself, had linked with the jaganshi. It hadn't been what he would call pleasant, not even slightly. The first night of the connection was always the worst. He mentally winced, trying not to dwell too much on what was to come for Yusuke. Kurama filled the small pack he would take with him; two changes of clothes, a few seeds, a couple pieces of fruit he found in the fridge, and anything else he remembered, before hastily locking up his apartment and heading for the portal.

Hiei murmured a short goodbye to Murkuro before flitting off towards Yusuke's territory, a journey which would take half the day, at most. He'd probably even arrive early. The past several nights, he had been preparing his mind to invade the other demon's. Though it wasn't too difficult on his end, the more gentle and precise he could be, the better. He didn't actually want to cause the ex-detective pain, so if he could prevent it, he would. He took a deep breath and pushed himself to a full sprint. Excitement pulled at his lips, forming a smirk. He always enjoyed the company of Kurama and Yusuke.

Hiei was pounding on the large double doors at the front of his friend's fortress by the time the first sun had set over Demon World. Yusuke let him in and led him to the room where Kurama was already waiting. The windowsill was chosen as Hiei's seat, as usual, as he listened to the conversation that had obviously been started earlier. "Well, Kurama, you know as well as I do, that a college degree won't do you much good here." Yusuke said, with a half shrug. "If you're not happy, then why continue in school?"

The fox eyed him thoughtfully. Finally, a wider smile split his face. "Stop, Yusuke. You're rapidly convincing me. I'm having a hard enough time trying to keep myself from convincing me, as it is." He laughed gently, causing Yusuke's face to break into one of his usual, winning smiles.

"Just calling it like I see it." He meet green eyes with intense brown ones. "Plus, there's always a room just down the hall with your name on it."

Kurama laughed gently again. "We'll see." And the look in eyes said that they truly would.

The conversation continued for a little while longer, and even Hiei joined in occasionally. Though, finally, they wound down to the core purpose of the night. Hiei looked meaningfully at the half-demon lord, "Are you ready to begin, Detective?" Though Yusuke's job as a Detective had long since ended, the nickname hadn't, but Yusuke didn't mind. It was a familiar comfort.

With a nod, Yusuke approached him. Together, face to face, they sat in the middle of the room. Hiei removed the ward over his Jagan and it opened. "Try to clear your mind... Which shouldn't be too hard for you." Hiei said with a smirk.

"Shut-up," Yusuke bit back with a wide grin before doing as he was told. A blank look took over his face as he closed his eyes.

"You should feel slight pressure..." Hiei muttered, not breaking his concentration. His third eye began glowing more brightly. The other man gave a vague nod after a moment, communicating that he felt it. "Now, try to lower the guards surrounding your mind."

Yusuke let out a soft sound as he attempted to do so. It felt very unnatural to go against something so ingrained in his mind. Slowly the barrier began to weaken. Hiei pressed a little harder against it. His senses we filling with the familiarity of his friend. It was oddly comforting. Kurama moved silently closer, curiosity taking over. Lowering himself to the floor, nearer to Yusuke, he watched the linking process take place. Being linked with Hiei, himself, allowed him a unique opportunity of having an insider's view of the intricate procedure. He could see the tiny cords of Hiei's telekinetic energy connected to Yusuke's forehead. The latter's eyes were closed, a look of discomfort and concentration drawing across his face. Hiei had drops of sweat forming on his forehead. His eyes were open but unseeing.

Suddenly, the jaganshi spoke, voice raspy and low, "Prepare yourself, Detective. This next stage is... particularly painful..."

Yusuke nodded once, trying to ready himself without raising his mental shield again. "Ready," he gasped out.

Hiei let out a grunt as he mentally shoved himself into the other's mind. Yusuke was unable to bite back the cry of pain. Suddenly, it felt like he was being attacked. His barriers went back up on their own accord, trying, in vein, to combat this new intruder. He felt like we was on fire. His shoulders trembled with the strenuous effort of not voicing his agony. Kurama slowly extended his hand towards the half-demon, wanting to reassure him. "Don't touch him, fox." Hiei hissed sharply.

The youko gazed over at Hiei, and his hand dropped back to his lap. Yusuke cried out again, at once diverting Kurama's attention. The ex-detective was almost convulsing now, and he had slumped backwards on the floor. His muscles couldn't decide whether to be slack or tense, so they fluctuated between both. He was panting, unable to catch a breath. His eyes had opened wide but couldn't seem to focus. His lips were attempting to form words, though no coherent sound came out. Hiei's eyes regained some focus as he examined his friend lying before him. "Yusuke." His voice was surprisingly gentle. "Yusuke?" No response came. "It's almost over... Just one last..." Two eyes closing, he hurried through the last stage. He knew that if he didn't complete quickly, he could seriously harm the other man. With one, last, fierce shove, he was through.

Suddenly, a freight train of emotions, thoughts, memories, and so much else blasted through Yusuke's mind. Only, none of it was his own. He soon realized that all of it, of course, belonged to Hiei. People he knew well were almost like strangers, as they were shown in such a different light than in his own mind. Differing opinions he'd never even considered suddenly made so much sense. He had a newfound brotherly love for Yukina. Even Kurama, possibly his closest friend, was different. Things he never knew about the kitsune were now, suddenly, second nature, old news. However, with all the good, there were dark, terrible things, too. They lurked mostly around the edges, in the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, but he could feel them. All of this took place in less than a second, and, all too quickly, the newness and shock gave way to agony.

The scream that was torn from Yusuke's lips could be heard through Hiei's ears and his mind. He winced, and tried to calm Yusuke. He extended a hand to his shoulder. "Yusuke?" The toushin closed his eyes tight and screamed out again. "Yusuke, it's over." Hiei carefully retreated as far out of the other's mind as he could without totally leaving. He couldn't completely sever their new bond yet; it would render all of this effort pointless because the small hole Hiei had made for himself would close over. He had to stay within Yusuke's mind for the next several hours, the next several _long_ hours. Though, once the pain wore away, Hiei was planning on probing through the other's mind a bit, getting to know his newly linked partner more throughly.

The Mazaku's chocolate eyes slipped open once again. His vision swirled as he tried to focus on Hiei's face. All he knew for sure was that he was in pain, but he believed the worst of it was over. "H... Hiei..." he managed to gasp. "Is it..." His voice faltered. Swallowing, he tried again. "Is it... over?"

The other nodded. "Can you feel the link?"

He nodded, wincing. Yes, he could feel it. He found that it was the source of his pain. "It... hurts."

"I know." Hiei got slowly to his feet. "Unfortunately, the pain will continue for several more hours... But I'll try to lessen it as much as I am able."

Kurama knelt down closer to Yusuke. "It'll be alright, Yusuke. Just try to focus your mind elsewhere."

"Right..." Yusuke rasped out. "Oh, yes... Piece of cake," he muttered with a lopsided grin. "But I've been... through worse." He realized he had, at some point, ended up lying on the floor. "I think... I'm going to lay... here for a while, though."

Kurama nodded, a gentle smile forming on his lips. "I think that's for the best."

Yusuke turned his attention to Hiei. "So... when I talk to you, in your mind... can Kurama hear it, too, since you're also linked?"

Hiei smirked. "Not now, Detective. There will be plenty of time for explanations when you're actually able to pay attention."


	2. Chapter 2: Lifting the Veil

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: The only pairing so far is Kuwabara x Yukina, though it won't be that prevalent through the story. Possibly other pairings later on, also possible additions of other characters of my own creation. Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

_**Please comment/review on this so I know whether or not to continue with this story. :)**_

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Two: _**Lifting the Veil**_

Hiei insisted that Yusuke sleep for at least a few hours. Not only would sleeping aid the finalization of their link, it would also help to ease the pain he knew the ex-detective was in. Hiei really hadn't needed to insist, however. Despite Yusuke's pain, he fell asleep right where he lay on the floor. Kurama smiled gently at the exhausted young lord. Quietly, he called to one of Yusuke's servants to take him to his room and bed to sleep more comfortably.

When the servant had taken his sleeping lord out of the room and down the hall, Kurama turned to Hiei. "Well?" he asked, more impatient than he usually tended to be.

Hiei nodded. He was silent for a moment, checking and rechecking the very new link. "I am quite certain it will take," he murmured finally. "The hardest part is over. Now I just have to maintain my end of it. Which isn't all that difficult."

Kurama nodded, returning to his former seat on the futon in the corner of the room. He wasn't tired, far from it, in fact, and he didn't particularly enjoy the idea of sitting in the room in silence for a few more hours. He sighed. "I believe I'm going to take a walk. Would you like to join me?" he asked after several minutes of silence.

Hiei didn't respond, but, as the fox knew he would, he followed out of the room behind him. The nearest exit of the massive fortress wasn't far, and Kurama was happy to smell the outside air after just a few minutes. "Why are we going for a midnight walk, Fox?" Hiei asked after they had been walking for some time.

His partner gave a one shouldered shrug and didn't reply. Their walk mostly consisted of silence, which neither really minded anyway. Kurama was thoroughly enjoying the fact that he was in the Makai again, and wouldn't allow much to ruin his fair mood. Hiei wasn't at all in an off-mood himself; he had missed the kitsune's company. Kurama lead them to the garden, near the training grounds, relishing in his element. He had decided some time ago that, since he frequented Yusuke's home, he should grow some useful and necessary plants in case the need arose. They were all flourishing quite nicely, despite his previous absence, and only a few needed his healing energy. "Aren't they lovely, Hiei?" he asked innocently, though he knew the response before it was given.

"Hn," the fire demon grunted, obviously uncaring as to whether the plants were lovely or not. However, even though he wouldn't admit it to the wily fox, Hiei was enjoying this. It was reminiscent of the old days in Human World, which he realized grudgingly, he missed.

Eventually, several hours later into the night, Kurama decided to return inside and retire to a bedroom he had earlier claimed as his own. Hiei took the one adjacent to it. The fire demon settled on the wide windowsill. Carefully testing the new link, he delved deeper into Yusuke's mind. While the other mind was in sleep was the easiest time to explore, Hiei had long since learned. There were less conscious restrictions blocking certain memories and thoughts. Into the wee-hours of the morning, Hiei worked through the other man's mind, hungry and curious to learn all there was to know about the young toushin.

Hours later, Yusuke woke, his pain considerably lessened. He still had a terrible headache, but he was impatient to try out this new link. Yusuke searched his mind until he found what he was looking for: a vague, fiery presence. Focusing on it, he thought, _Hiei?_ He wasn't actually sure how to communicate with the other demon, but figured he would try anyway.

_Very good, Detective. _Hiei's voice echoed through his mind. _Kurama and I were wondering if you'd figure it out on your own. _There was a pause before he continued. _Come back to the room. I believe you have questions you would like answered._

_Alright. _Yusuke got to his feet slowly, not wanting to further irritate the pounding in his head. He followed the now familiar corridors of his fortress to the same room of the night before. He found both of his friends in similar positions as when he'd last seen them. Moving through the room, he eased himself onto the futon Kurama currently inhabited. "Alright. Tell me the rest of what I need to know," Yusuke said, turning slightly to better face the fire demon.

Hiei explained everything he felt Yusuke should know that he hadn't mentioned before the linking. He told him that since Kurama also had a link, he would be privy to information in Hiei's mind. While Kurama couldn't actually _hear_ what Yusuke said, he would know because what Hiei knew, well, Kurama knew, also. And vice versa. Hiei explained that Yusuke would be able to find information in his mind that was not his own; information which belonged to Hiei. Their conversation continued for a while longer, until one of Yusuke's officers requested him. Sighing gently, Yusuke got to his feet. "I'll be back in a while. You know the drill, just ask anyone if you need anything." Nodding to them, he walked out of the room, following the other man.

After they were alone, Hiei turned to Kurama. "There's so much I never knew about him," he murmured honestly, his tone carrying an usual note.

The red-head regarded him thoughtfully. Finally, a patient smile brushing his lips, he said simply, "Well, you've never really asked him."

Hiei grunted, but nodded eventually, stating, "I examined his mind while he was asleep."

Kurama's brows furrowed at this. "Was that wise, so soon after the link was formed?" he questioned, clearly skeptical.

A smirk flitted across the jaganshi's face as he said, "Well, fox, I did the same to you."

"I see..." After a long silence, Kurama asked, "May I take a look at what you found?"

Hiei scoffed, "As if you have to ask." Closing his eyes, Kurama looked over Hiei's memories of the few hours previous.

He, like Hiei, had a genuine curiosity to know the ex-detective more throughly. Though many thoughts and memories were already known to the two other demons, there were some that were new. One was a single recurring emotion, carefully hidden away; a dark emotion. Misery seemed to be a good word to describe it. Sheer misery and loneliness. It went back as far as Yusuke had memories. It seemed he had realized young that this emotion was taboo, and so, he had begun to cover up the feeling. But Hiei had found it. And it was everywhere, lurking behind almost every memory the boy had. That he didn't have any idea who his real father was; his mother's many, terrible boyfriends; her drinking problem; the heavy abuse he suffered through the majority of his childhood; his failure at school; his lack of friends growing up. And it only just began with Yusuke's childhood; Hiei, and now Kurama, realized the more recent the memories were, the more heavily saturated they were. The grief he'd cause when he died the first time; fear of failure throughout the Dark Tournament; Genkai's alleged death; killing Togoro; killing Sensui; Raizen's death; leaving Keiko; and finally, the sheer loneliness of his current situation.

Kurama opened his eyes, a shocked expression etched on his face. Hiei regarded him carefully, "You didn't realize it either, then?"

"I," he paused, considering his word usage carefully, "didn't realize the extent of it, no." Kurama shook his head. "He always took the blame... For everything." Worried eyes flicked to catch Hiei's, "This settles it, you know."

"Care to elaborate on _what_ exactly this settles?"

"I'm leaving the Human World. I... will move here, with Yusuke," Kurama murmured.

Hiei's usual smirk returned at these words. "I can't say I'm surprised, Fox."

"You know me well," the fox agreed. There was a long silence. "I never knew he was such a good liar," Kurama mused softly. "I can't believe how well it's been hidden." He paused again before continuing, "You know, Kuwabara told me once, when he looks at Yusuke's aura, it isn't like the aura most people have. He told me that Yusuke's has these... dark, shadowed spots. These," he gestured at the air around him, suggesting aura, "These black obscurities."

Hiei glared at the fox, "What is that even supposed to mean?"

Kurama met his glare with a sad look. "Truthfully, Hiei, I cannot say... I'll admit I didn't give much credit to his words at that time."

Yusuke stalked out of his meeting room. His curiosity was quickly getting the better of him. Carefully, he reached out to the presence he associated with Hiei. Upon his mental touch, the memories burst forth. Careful not to allow Hiei to realize what he was doing, he began sorting through memories. At first, it was nothing he didn't already know. Yusuke's fortress, the Demon Tournament, Yusuke's death (pausing here, he made a mental note to look at this particular memory more carefully later) and battling Sensui with the gang, Yusuke being kidnapped, the Dark Tournament, the first time they met, and so on. Yusuke skipped back a bit more until he found what he was looking for. He believed these were actually Kurama's memories that Hiei had seen, but they sparked Yusuke's curiosity even further. He allowed the memories to take over him, giving into them completely.

_Kurama stood, in his Yoko form, in the middle of some Makai forest. He was holding an object in his left hand, his whip in the other. "Did you obtain it successfully?" It was not Kurama who spoke, for he nodded. The one who had asked the previous question stepped forward into the dim light near Kurama, revealing a quite female demon. A beautiful, female _fox _demon, no less. "Excellent," she hissed. She held out a slender hand, and Kurama placed the object into it. It was a jewel. Something they had just stolen from some unnamed demon. Something said unnamed demon stole from someone else. The other fox looked up at Kurama again, a brilliant smile turning her lips up gently. She tucked the jewel away and stepped closer to Kurama. "You were absolutely exquisite back there, brother."_

Yusuke jerked from the memory, suddenly panting. _Brother? ! _That other fox demon had called Kurama 'brother.' This was news to Yusuke. He had to stand in the hall outside the side room where his two friends were sitting. He needed to control his breathing and hide his shock before he went back to them. He wasn't sure he was ready for them, Kurama especially, to know what he had just stumbled upon.

After a few minutes, Yusuke swept into the room and realized they had immediately stopped talking when he did. "Sorry about that," he muttered, studying them carefully. "Something wrong...?"

Snapping on his normal, calm smile, Kurama shook his head. "No, Yusuke, of course not."

"O...kay." Yusuke murmured slowly, his usual smirk carefully returning. "Well, Kurama, I actually have something to ask you." Slightly surprised, Kurama raised an eyebrow, communicating that he should ask. "Spar with me?"

Kurama chuckled, "Very well."

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke responded with a winning smile, "Awesome."

"Well," Yusuke sighed, "Kurama has a sister?" Though, it really wasn't a question.

Hiei eyed him thoughtfully. He was impressed at how well Yusuke could navigate their mutual link already. "Yes, he _had_ a sister."

Yusuke stared at him for a while, "She died then?"

"What do you think? Have you ever met her? Have you ever seen her before?" Hiei asked with a bit more sarcasm and sharpness than he had intended to. He was silent for a few minutes. "Yes, she died. Before you were even born, actually."

Yusuke nodded, but didn't say anything else. This was precisely why he didn't ask Kurama himself, in the first place. He had had a very strong feeling she was dead, and it felt safer asking Hiei about it. Kurama had never, ever mentioned a sister in the whole of the years Yusuke had known him. That told Yusuke that it was most likely a sore subject and should be broached with extreme care.

After a long pregnant silence, Hiei smirked, "I'm surprised to say I'm proud of you, detective." Looking over at him, he said, "Even Kurama took longer in figuring out how to see into my mind... Quite impressive."

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei stayed at Yusuke's fortress for a few days more before Mukuro sent for him to return. He bid farewell to both of his dearest friends, telling them he would return at his next opportunity. After his departure, Kurama turned to Yusuke, "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Let me guess," Yusuke muttered. "You're leaving, too?" There it was again, Kurama noticed. _Misery._ The young man was quick to hide it, but not before Kurama caught a glimpse. How had he never seen it before? He mentally chastised himself. Yusuke's eyes were, and had always been, the windows to his very soul. It gave one a brief look inside him, if, of course, one knew where to look.

"No, Yusuke," the fox demon said, pleased to see the light return to the other's eyes.

"No?"

"No." His smile widened significantly, "Actually, I wanted to ask you if you still had that room available for my... permanent occupation."

"Seriously?" The ex-detective looked almost giddy.

"Yes. I do have to return to Human World tomorrow, however... Just for the day," he added, a bit hastily, noting the look of disappointment spring into Yusuke's eyes. "I need to set all of my affairs in order... and say goodbye to my mother, of course." He smiled warmly at his friend. "You've shown me this is my true home."

"Alright!" Yusuke fist pumped the air, giving Kurama a momentary glimpse at the old Yusuke. "Yes, I'll tell my, er... servants," he still hated that word, "that you'll be, uh, moving in."

Kurama's presence at Yusuke's fortress was an obviously positive one, especially on the young lord. Yusuke needed him, the fox had realized with pleasure. He always enjoyed an opportunity to have his ego stroked. Upon his arrival back to Demon World, he had assumed his Yoko form. It was a truly wonderful feeling for his outer self to match his inner. He occasionally made trips back to Human World to visit his mother, but the majority of his time was spent as Yoko Kurama. The link Hiei shared with both other men was also a positive thing, for all three. Kurama chuckled each time Yusuke would abruptly, without warning, burst into laughter when Hiei provided him with an entertaining thought or commentary. Today, for example, Hiei had said, _I believe I found a prefect home for the oaf if he ever lays an inappropriate hand on Yukina. _Immediately following that statement, he had sent Yusuke a mental picture of a tiny shack sitting directly next to a tree that looked suspiciously like an evil, human-eating one. Even though Kuwabara was his friend, the Mazoku couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Finally, after a few weeks of Kurama's near-constant presence, Yusuke mustered up the courage to ask him about his sister. He had seen as much as Hiei's memory had of her, but he wanted to hear it from the fox's own mouth. "Fox-boy?"

Kurama chuckled at the familiar nickname, "Yes, Lord Yusuke?"

"Don't call me that! I've told you a hundred times..." Yusuke frowned, trailing off. "Anyway, I wanted to ask-"

Kurama didn't allow him to finish his thought. "You want to know about my sister." He wasn't asking. He knew that he stated fact. He had already known that once Yusuke discovered he could see into Hiei's memories, it would only be a matter of time before he found the fox's own memories. However, that didn't mean he was really ready to discuss this with him.

"How did you know?" Yusuke asked softly. He was clearly now wary of how Kurama was going to take this request.

"I like to think of myself as quite intelligent, Yusuke, and I knew you would happen upon my memories, courtesy of Hiei, eventually." He paused, thoughtful, before he continued, "I'm not quite sure I'm ready to tell you about her, however, to be honest."

Yusuke nodded, trying not to look disappointed. "It's okay, Kurama," he told him honestly.

The fox sighed, a frown beginning to mar his features. "Yusuke," he murmured quietly, "I need to be alone now."

"Right, yeah, of-of course," Yusuke stumbled over his reply a bit as he guiltily turned from the room. He now felt truly terrible for asking Kurama to talk about something he was sure was painful, but he really felt that they were close enough friends to talk about it. It wasn't the problem of trusting him that prevented Kurama from talking about, he knew; it was repressed emotions he didn't really want to deal with now, or perhaps ever.

Yusuke was careful not to discuss anything that had the word 'sister' in it for the next several days following when he had asked Kurama about his. In his red-head form, the kitsune had since went to, and returned from, Human World and now typically didn't leave the fortress's grounds. Yusuke had taken to discussing some of the more controversial or quite difficult decisions he faced as a ruler with Kurama, as he was the most insightful person he knew. Yusuke was well aware of the fact that he was a very young ruler, and many of the decisions laid at his feet were beyond what he was comfortable with. It helped very much to have Kurama to give him input. Especially since the fox was almost always right. About _everything._

Today wasn't extremely different than the last few. Yusuke had just finished asking Kurama on some of the general, 'rule-of-thumb' laws surrounding property of demons within his own territory. Now, Kurama sat watching the young toushin lord look over a small pile of this land-ownership paperwork, his brow furrowed. Sighing, the fox got to his feet. "I'll tell you, Yusuke."

The boy looked up, "Tell me?" His brow furrowed further, confusion evident. "Tell me what?"

Kurama's expression remained as neutral as he could manage as he murmured, "Tell you about my sister."

Yusuke nodded, a bit surprised by this as he'd mostly figured the subject would be off-limits for the next couple years, and the two walked to Kurama's room for more privacy. The youko looked out the large window beside his bed. Yusuke sat down and waited patiently for him to begin. Sighing, Kurama closed his eyes, "Yusuke, what you must understand is that she was so dear to me, I nearly lost my mind the day I lost her." After a long pause, he opened his eyes but did not face away from the window, "I suppose the story truly begins with my mother. She, too, was an extraordinary fox. Once, every few hundred generations, give-or-take, a youko is gifted with a rare ability. My mother's happened to be an affinity for the element of water. Somehow, though I do not understand why, that affinity was passed to my twin, in the form of ice. As you may know, youkos in general typically find their affinities to lie in the element of earth, like myself.

"As a small child, my sister showed none of the normal signs of an affinity, earth or otherwise. My mother always stood by her, and tried, though in vain, to convince my father one day it would come forth. He didn't listen. My sister was outcast by him. He hated what he took to be as an utter failure, a disgrace upon our name. However, he couldn't have been more incorrect. As she grew older, strange things began happening. When he would get angry with her, a chill would take to the air, no matter how warm the day. Snow began to fall when she was upset, no matter what time of year.

"Soon, my mother realized what had happened." Kurama grinned slightly, "Her daughter was special; she'd been blessed with a gift. My father began to realize it, too. Though, instead of apologizing, as demons rarely ever do, he merely shunned her more throughly. And when we were old enough, she and I escaped together, just after my mother was killed. From then on, she and I were everything each other had," Kurama paused again, rare emotion shaking his usually calm voice. "I believe you have seen many of the memories, following our escape, from Hiei, so I'll just skip to the end."

Kurama turned, finally facing Yusuke; his face was much paler than usual, "The night I lost her was the very same night I retreated to Human World, some 20 years ago... Though... as you probably know already, she wasn't as lucky. She died taking the blow the surely would have killed me, as it was, it mortally wounded me. She killed the hunter who had been after us. In the last moments remaining of her life, she told me exactly what to do; that in my weakened state, I would be able to pass through the barrier to the other world. She was right, of course. She always was. Not long after that, she... died in my arms." There was strange brightness to the fox demon's eyes as he finished, "I have replayed that night, over and over, in my mind. Every time, imagining what I could have done to have prevented her death... Eventually, I tried to forget it all. I never spoke of it again. Until now, of course." Kurama closed his eyes, knowing full well he wasn't very far from tears. "Gods, Yusuke, I miss her, still," he whispered.

Yusuke got to his feet and walked to his friend. Placing a gentle hand on the other's shoulder, he said, "You have every right to miss her. I'm sorry I asked... I..." Carefully, he pulled Kurama into an embrace. It wasn't awkward or stiff, and Kurama seemed thankful for it. Yusuke sighed, choosing his words more carefully than he usually did, "I am sorry, Fox-boy. Curiosity got the best me, I guess."

A gentle smile and calm expression replaced itself on his pale features as the two broke apart. "It usually does, my dear friend," the fox told him. "It usually does."


	3. Chapter 3: Whispers of Murder

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: The only pairing so far is Kuwabara x Yukina, though it won't be that prevalent through the story. Possibly other pairings later on. Also there will be additions of other characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

_**Please comment/review on this so I know whether or not to continue with this story. :)**_

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Three: _**Whispers of Murder**_

Hiei returned to the Toushin fortress in the east a few weeks later. He never had before believed how much Yusuke would grow on him. The ex-detective used to be his the source of most, if not all, his anger; now Hiei found himself actually _looking forward_ to visiting him. Whether he liked to admit it or not, Kurama had always been right. Aside from the fox himself, Yusuke was his best friend. He grinned, in spite of himself, as he approached the sprawling, towering mass of the fortress.

Yusuke's head snapped up from the papers before him. "Hiei's here," he told Kurama, unnecessarily, his frown evaporating into a wide grin that lit up his face. They sat in the ballroom, at the giant table. It was where they typically ate, and where they were, currently, enjoying breakfast. Yusuke was also looking over several request forms, various in nature.

"I believe you are right, Yusuke."

"I can be right _sometimes_," the other laughed.

Yusuke got to his feet, Kurama followed suit and allowed the ex-detective to lead the way to greet Hiei in the front room. He smiled warmly when he saw the fire demon. "Just a visit, Hiei?" he murmured.

Hiei nodded. "It's a bit boring there now that I'm not monitoring the border constantly."

Yusuke nodded, "I take it Mukuro is making good use of the warriors I had sent over there?"

The Jaganshi nodded again, "Quite."

Hiei joined the other two for the remainder of their breakfast. Kurama and Hiei talking idly while the Yusuke finished looking over the papers in front of him. Finally, he sighed, "I don't understand what is so hard about _not_ eating humans."

Kurama chuckled. "That's _all _these requests are!" Yusuke exclaimed. He flicked through them again, muttering under his breath as he stamped 'REQUEST DENIED' on each one. Upon finishing, Yusuke released a flare of energy. "I'm glad you're here, Hiei. I've been waiting to spar with you. I need to take out my frustrations on something," he added with a smirk.

"Of course." Hiei grinned mischievously. "Lead the way to your defeat, Detective." Yusuke got to his feet, and the three of them walked to the dirt ring outside, in the rear of the sprawling place.

The two demons spent the next few hours fighting each other. Kurama watched with genuine interest. They were both so much stronger now; Yusuke especially. The young toushin certainly made his bloodline proud. His amount of energy was truly insane, as he had reached the S-class level. After a few years in Demon World, he had gained much better control of this power and knew how to use it. It was fascinating to watch him fight.

Yusuke snarled as he made another attack on Hiei. The fire demon had immense speed at his disposal, and, in any other fight, he could have easily evaded attacks and wore his opponent down. In this fight, however, his speed seemed merely to rev Yusuke up. Kurama had to watch very carefully to be able to catch all of their fast movements. It seemed no matter where Hiei moved, Yusuke easily followed. Soon it became clear that they were near an impasse. Yusuke had a bit of lead on the number of punches and kicks landed, but Hiei wasn't far behind. So far, the tally included Yusuke making four connections with Hiei with his fist and one with his foot. Hiei had managed to slam the hilt of his sword into Yusuke's chin twice and landed one solid punch. Finally, Hiei threw Yusuke back with a particularly hard punch. Recovering rather quickly, Yusuke wiped away a drip on blood from his mouth. "Now we're talking!" he exclaimed, bearing his teeth at Hiei in the form of a vicious grin.

Utilizing his equally blurring speed, Yusuke managed to land a hit on the right side of the Jaganshi's jaw. "Ready to give up yet?" Yusuke cried laughingly at him.

"Never..." Hiei hissed. "We've just begun. Come now, show me what you've learned, Detective."

Yusuke released his energy in a large wave, Hiei following suit. Now, with movement backed with his hybrid mix of Spirit and Demon energies, Yusuke was managing to get in more hits, though, as typical Yusuke fighting style, he allowed his defenses to slacken considerably. The trade-off was exactly what both had been looking for, a much needed outlet. Hiei extended his right arm to smack Yusuke with the hilt of his sword. Dodge to the left. Yusuke grabbed the Jaganshi's upper arm, managing to hold him while his other hand landed a punch. He kicked Hiei out of his grasp only to have him on top of him again. A kick from Hiei this time. It connected, and the ex-detective rolled to make up for the blow.

They now were mid-air, an arm's length separating them. Their blurry punches were coming in contact with only the other's fists. Not accomplishing much with that, they landed back on the ground, not far apart. Hiei moved his head to the side to avoid a fist, and he responded with one of his own. Then, both jumped back to a fighting stance and started it over again. Fist met forearm in a block, sword hilt met dirt in a dodge and foot landed against leg in a parry. Panting, Yusuke took a step away from Hiei, allowing his blue energy to form in his fist. Grinning, he rushed his sparring partner, landing an energized hit, sending Hiei flying. Satisfied with himself, he went to extend a hand to help Hiei stand. The Jaganshi did not need it. He got to his feet swiftly and sent Yusuke back with a hardy punch to the gut. Back and forth it went; neither gaining much of an advantage for long.

Finally, Kurama convinced them to stop when the storm began dumping rain on them. "Until next time, Three-Eyes," Yusuke said, bowing.

"Hn," was all Hiei said at first, but he bowed slightly, as well, a smirk softening his face. "Not as bad as I expected from you, Detective," he mocked with no real heat.

"My Lord!" Came a sudden cry, causing Yusuke to straighten and turn towards the man who called him.

"Yes?" the Demon Lord called back.

"There's someone here to speak with you. One of Yomi's demons. I'm told it is of the utmost importance."

"Very well..." he told his servant. Turning to Hiei and Kurama, he murmured, "I'll catch you two in a bit." And he turned to leave. "What's going on?" he asked the man who had summoned him.

"All I was told, my lord, is that this demon has coming bearing important news from Yomi," he murmured, leading them briskly towards the front of the fortress.

Upon entering the grand front ballroom, Yusuke was met with a cloaked figure moving through the huge double doors of his fortress. A blot of lightning cracked outside before the large doors closed, giving Yusuke a clearer view of the figure who had not yet moved into the lamp-light of the room. The black fabric of the cloak the demon wore was soaked through from the pouring torrent of rain outside. The hood shadowed the entirety of their face beneath it. The cloak traveled down to the floor and trailed behind. From beneath it in front, the toes of their white shoes protruded with each step. The figure stopped abruptly a few feet from the young lord. With a low bow, it was revealed the demon underneath was a woman when she spoke, "My lord." Her voice was like honey, smooth and rich. Yet somehow a bit sinister. She straightened, though did not lower her hood.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this news from Yomi?" Yusuke asked slowly. Something didn't feel right about this woman.

"I am here tonight to warn you," came the almost seductive voice.

"Excuse me?" he asked, more calmly than he felt.

"My apologies, Lord," she murmured. "I'm here to warn you." She repeated, slightly louder. Though they both knew he had not misheard her. "I am here on my own accord. Many demons would frown upon me for this, but I do not believe the... rumors flying around about you, Lord... I felt you deserved to be given a proper warning."

"A warning?" Yusuke frowned deeply, "A warning of what, exactly?" Hiei had obviously felt the churning emotions coming from his friend through the bond, for, after a moment, his voice whispered softly through Yusuke's mind. _What is it, Detective?_

Before Yusuke could make any reply, however, the woman spoke again. "I won't waste your time idly avoiding the truth, my lord... Yomi has been assassinated."

"What?" _What?_

_"_Something is wrong." Hiei told Kurama, eyes wide, an unusual display of emotion for the little demon.

"What, Hiei?" Kurama murmured. "What is it?"

"It's Yusuke-"

"There is more," the woman whispered to Yusuke.

He watched her carefully. "Then continue," he murmured curtly.

"There is a widespread belief that _you, _my lord,were behind his assassination."

Yusuke gaped at her. "That's... that's absolutely ridiculous."

"Kurama, I believe Yusuke needs us..." And, without more pause, he and Kurama hurried through the halls towards the room Hiei knew Yusuke was in. Hiei entered first. The woman turned her cloaked head at the sudden addition to the room and stared in his direction. "The Forbidden Child..." she whispered after a moment. "I have heard much about you." She bowed slightly to him. Hiei watched her, suspicion acutely evident on his face.

When Kurama entered, the woman's reason for speaking to the Toushin Lord was quickly set aside; for a long moment a stretching silence filled the room. She finally chuckled gently as her interested gaze continued to linger on the fox. "I had heard rumors that the great and infamous Yoko Kurama had shown his face in Demon World again. Though, I'll admit, without seeing it firsthand, I had not truly believed there to be any fact behind them. However... now, I have no doubts."

"Who the hell are you?" Yusuke asked coldly, his calm air of a demon lord suddenly vanishing. Something definitely wasn't right, and he knew it.

A wicked grin lit what he could see of her pale face as she spoke, "Perhaps you should ask the youko... He knows _exactly_ who I am." Finally, she removed her hood. What the lowered hood revealed shocked the toushin. A fox demon. _She could be Kurama's sister_, Yusuke thought vaguely. Her silver hair; her pallid, calculating gold eyes. But it was her face that most reminded him of Yoko Kurama. Thin and pale, with that perfect, emotionless smile. Sharp, golden eyes, so very much like Yoko Kurama's own, were flicked to him. "Don't you... dear Yoko?" she asked as a strike of lightning cast a strange yellow light over her. This crude light seemed to cut her face into sharp angles. She looked positively vicious. And, if it was possible, only more strikingly beautiful.

Kurama took a step back, eyes wide, expression unbelieving, but the thunder rumbled ominously before he found his voice, "It cannot be..."

She smiled wider, "I'd hoped you would still remember me... after all these years..."


	4. Chapter 4: Like Arctic Northern Lights

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: The only pairing so far is Kuwabara x Yukina, though it won't be that prevalent through the story. Possibly other pairings later on. Also there will be additions of other characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

_**Please comment/review on this story so I know whether or not to continue with it. :)**_

I am going to try to get several chapters out in the next couple of days. I was busy this past week, but I have a free schedule for a while. :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Four:_** Like Arctic Northern Lights**_

_"Don't you know who I am... dear Yoko?" _

_"It cannot be..." Kurama took a step back, eyes wide, expression unbelieving. _

_The female fox demon smiled wider. "I hoped you would still remember me... after all these years..."_

"Who are you?" Hiei repeated Yusuke's question with slight malice. He did _not _like the reaction this woman was causing in Kurama.

She hardly glanced at Hiei, her sharp golden eyes resting again on Kurama. "My name, Fire Child, is Aurora."

Kurama's usual calmness evaporated completely. "NO!" He screeched. "You were dead!" He screamed at the woman. "I held you as you took your last breath... YOU ARE DEAD!" His voice shook with heavy emotion, a sign that tears were not far off.

Yusuke's eyes had widened to twice their normal size. He had never, _ever_ seen his fox demon friend like this. He was shocked and, even a little, horrified. "Ku... Kurama?"

Hiei stepped forward. "Who _the hell _are you?" he hissed.

"My name is Aurora." she repeated simply.

"No... You're... not..." Kurama gasped. He had not been able to stop the sobs that shook him to his core. "She... she... is... dead... Do you hear me? She's DEAD!"

She shook her head. "Come here, Yoko," she murmured, and suddenly her cold features softened. However, he still made no movement towards her, so, in a quite voice, she added, "Please?"

After an eternity had passed, he moved, ever so slowly, towards her. When he finally reached her, she extended a slender hand to his forehead. "I trust you remember what will happen in a moment?" she asked him softly.

He nodded, and his eyes began to glaze over. She closed her own. Wisps of her pale energy could be visibly seen as she began. A sharp gasp escaped Kurama's lips. Now even more concerned, Hiei strode across the room to where the two foxes stood. "Stop." he spat at her. However, he was ignored. He reached a hand to forcefully remove hers from his friend's forehead, but Kurama caught it before he reached her. The obviously distracted fox did not speak, nor glance his direction, but held onto his wrist until she was finished.

Memories flashed like lightening threw his mind. Suddenly, everything was so clear. He understood. Though the impossible had happened for him, he realized it was true. He saw how she had managed to survive, how she had been living since last he saw her, and that she honestly thought him to be dead. He knew she wasn't an impostor. The only thing that had changed about her familiar energy was the sheer amount. He had gotten much stronger, too, but hers' was impressive, regardless. He thought she might even be able to give Yusuke a run for him money.

After a few moments, she removed her hand from him. "Do you see now?" she whispered, eyes dancing with an unusual emotional display for a demon, especially one that hadn't spent much time in Human World.

"I..." He cried out, releasing Hiei's wrist as he pulled her to him. "But you were dead..."

She smiled into his chest. "Foxes don't die, Yoko," she laughed softly, curling her frame more throughly into his embrace. "Gods, I've _missed_ you." she murmured when they broke apart. A genuine, beautiful smile broke over her face. "I... am equally shocked to learn you're truthfully still alive, Yoko... How... did _you_ escape?"

It was Kurama's turn to laugh, "Let me show you." And Yoko became Shuichi, gold became green, silver became red; tail, fangs, nails, and ears disappeared, leaving the more human Kurama in their wake.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Fascinating!" she murmured. "So you _did _listen to my advice," she added with a grin.

"Kurama...?" Yusuke finally broke into their happy reunion. "What's... going on?"

He had almost completely forgotten his friends were still in the room, "Oh! Forgive me... Yusuke, Hiei, _this_ is Aurora. My sister, my twin sister." He glanced at Hiei, "I'm surprised you don't recognize her, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei turned away. "I thought she was dead..." He turned and walked from the room, realizing there, apparently, was no danger, after all.

Yusuke, feeling awkward, followed Hiei. "Come get us when you're... you know, done talking."

Kurama thanked them and turned back to his sister. "Come, dear sister. We have so much to catch up on."

Finally, Kurama and Aurora met Yusuke and Hiei in the dining hall. Kurama had changed back into his full demon self. It was not difficult to see the two were twins. Aurora had removed her rain-drenched cloak completely, which revealed a long, flowing, pale blue dress that pooled on the floor at her feet. She was a truly stunning creature. Yusuke didn't believe he had ever seen a demon like her before. Her white-silver hair and pale blue dress strongly reminded Yusuke of what Kurama had told him about her being an Ice Welder. He also noticed the room chilled considerably when she entered. He could feel her power, she had it in spades. Idly, he wondered how it would be to fight her; wondered how he would fare against her.

"Well?" Hiei asked impatiently. "Mukuro has summoned me already."

Kurama sighed. "We have reason to believe Yusuke may be in great danger..." He looked over at his friend. "I also believe, more likely than not, that this will cause a war... Many demons will not take Yomi's murder lying down. They will want vengeance... Especially if it means killing the... traitors, the _human lovers._" Kurama looked meaningfully at Yusuke and Hiei. "Us."

"Obviously," Hiei scoffed. "I have no doubt this is the reason Mukuro has called for me. I'll be back. If you need me before I am, though, you know what to do." He glanced at Yusuke. _Do not hesitate to contact me if the need arises, Detective. I'll be back as soon as I can._ His eyes flicked away and fixed the beautiful female fox standing next to Kurama with a long gaze. "Hn." And he was gone.

Yusuke, who had said nothing through the entire exchange, finally spoke, "So... You're Kurama's sister..." He gazed at her unflinchingly. It wasn't a question. "And why aren't you dead?" he finally added, bluntly.

Her expression was unreadable as she calmly replied, "I am a fox." As if it was very simple.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Right," he said, traces of sarcasm not completely hidden. Finally, he looked over to Kurama. "You're sure?"

Kurama nodded without hesitation. "Quite."

"Fine," the toushin sighed. He knew better than to not trust Kurama. "Well, I want the details on Yomi. How was he killed? How did you come by this information? And, most of all, who's ass am I going to have to kick?" A wicked smile, showing off his sharp demon canines, kicked up his lips as he finished.

Aurora looked slightly amused at his demeanor, though became somber as she responded, "His throat was slit. I saw his body myself, about an hour after he was found by his personal guard... And I'm afraid I do not yet know who will come to fight you, my Lord. But do not believe for one moment that they will not come. They will, and I have no doubt that there will be many."

Yusuke thought about this information for a moment before he spoke again. "Do you know who actually _did _kill Yomi?"

Aurora shook her head. "Nay, my lord." She paused before adding, "Though I do have some ideas."

"I suggest we call Koenma," Kurama murmured. "He often monitors the three worlds, and he may be able to help us."

Yusuke nodded vaguely, his eyes glazing slightly as he lost himself in thought. Kurama stayed silent; Yusuke was better left alone when he was in one these moods. Finally, he got to his feet. "I need to speak to Hokushin about this. He'll contact Koenma for us, as well." He strode across the marble floor in a few short strides. When he reached the door, he paused and turned back to look at the two foxes once more. "Though I do not trust you, Fox, a friend of Kurama's is a friend of mine." Without another word, he was gone.

_**Thank you to those that have commented, please keep leaving your thoughts in the review section! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5: Seeds of Doubt

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: The only pairing so far is Kuwabara x Yukina, though it won't be that prevalent through the story. Possibly other pairings later on. Also there will be additions of other characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

_**Please comment/review on this story so I know whether or not to continue with it. :)**_

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Five:_** Seeds of Doubt**_

_When he reached the door, he paused and turned back to look at the two foxes once more. "Though I do not trust you, Fox, a friend of Kurama's is a friend of mine." Without another word, he was gone._

Yusuke found Hokushin in his study. "I need to get a hold of Koenma," the lord told him.

"Of course," was the reply. He moved to do as he was told. While the older toushin spoke to Koenma, the younger turned to the window, losing himself in thought for a few moments. He was missing something. But what was it...? There was a nagging _something_ at the edge of his brain. He just couldn't quite reach it. _Unless..._

When his advisor returned, he didn't speak. He watched his lord carefully, waiting. He knew when not to bother Raizen's son. "Hokushin," Yusuke finally spoke. "Will you tell Kurama's sister I need to speak to her?"

"Of course, my lord." Without a word, he moved from the room. Finding the woman was not difficult. She was with her brother, who raised his perfect eyebrows in question when the lord's most trusted advisor told them her presence had been requested. She waved off any questions before the other youko could ask them, and murmured something of being back shortly. Leaving her twin for the first time in hours, she walked in silence behind Hokushin. She already knew why Yusuke wanted to see her.

The old toushin and the female fox stepped lightly into the room after a few short minutes. The kitsune eyed him carefully. "What is it, my lord?" she asked softly, gazing at him. The look on her face, however, stated that she already knew.

"Hokushin, you're dismissed." With a curt nod, he left.

Yusuke rounded on the kitsune. "You know more than you've told us. I can tell." She held his gaze levelly but didn't respond. "You _will _tell me everything you know."

She suddenly bared sharp fangs. "Listen carefully, insolent child," she spat at him, her calm demeanor gone completely. "I do not take orders from a filthy _half-breed_..." She paused, allowing a moment for her words to really sink in. "I don't like you," she hissed, taking a step closer to him. "You're a dirty, traitorous, human-loving fool. You are the epitome of everything I despise. Were it not for Yoko, I would not be here... I would have let those disgraceful demons have their way with you." She added with a malicious, humorless laugh.

Yusuke's eyes widened in shock. Hiei, standing unnoticed in the far doorway, frowned deeply. He didn't like this demon, Kurama's sister or not. Before another word could be spoken, she turned and swept from the room. Upon passing Hiei in the doorway, she paused. He placed his hand on the hilt on his Katana, but it wasn't necessary. She simply looked at him, eyes and expression unreadable. "Protect him," he thought she said. It had been too quite to know for sure, and she was gone before he could ask.

The Spirit World Prince, in his adult form, arrived at the former detective's fortress later that night. "I already know why you contacted me, Yusuke, and I'll tell you, I'm a bit concerned about this situation," the Prince told him.

"I can take care of myself, Koenma. I've been doing a fine job at it for years," the toushin said, flashing a cocky grin.

"That's why I made you a Spirit Detective those years ago. However, there is probably an _army_ coming for your head... How are you going to handle that alone?"

"Well, that's simple," came another voice. "He won't _be _alone, you fool."

"Ah, hello, Hiei," Koenma muttered with a sigh. "You haven't changed much, I see."

"Hn."

"Where's Kurama?" Yusuke asked Hiei, turning from the Prince to get a better look at his friend. "Thought he might want to talk with Koenma, too."

"With his sister, I imagine."

"Sister?" Koenma looked from one man to the other, expression confused.

"Yes," Hiei snapped. "Are you deaf or just stupid?"

Yusuke smirked, but explained more throughly. "He thought she died the day he escaped to Human World. Turns out, she's just been hiding for 20 years, waiting to see if he was alive and if he'd return to Demon World. Apparently, she's been working for Yomi for a while. She came here to tell me that someone blamed his murder on me. I think she might even help us fight."

"Not that we need it," Hiei added darkly.

"Perhaps not, but that's less demons you'll have to fight, Hiei."

The fire demon glared over at the new additions to the room. "Kurama," he murmured with a nod.

"Koenma, this is my sister, Aurora," Kurama told him, stepping slightly to the side to reveal his twin.

She smiled politely at him. "A pleasure," she told him. Though her tone was soft and her expression light, Hiei was sure he saw something like malevolence glint in her eyes for a moment before it was gone. He thought perhaps he imagined it, but... what was she hiding?

Koenma nodded. "Yes, pleasure." He looked back at Yusuke. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Yusuke, you know that, but I must tell you, the outlook isn't a good one. Spirit World had already been contacted. There is a war on the horizon."

Yusuke swallowed. "I was afraid of that," he muttered.


	6. Chapter 6: Of Suspicion and Trust

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

_**Please comment/review on this story so I know whether or not to continue with it. :)**_

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Six: _**Of Suspicion and Trust**_

_Koenma looked back at Yusuke. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Yusuke, you know that, but I must tell you, the outlook isn't a good one. Spirit World had already been contacted. There is a war on the horizon." _

_Yusuke swallowed. "I was afraid of that," he muttered. _

"I suggest someone contact Murkuro. She has many loyal demons as her disposal, and she seems to respect you, lord. I believe the Fire Child would be the best choice to go to her," came an unexpected voice. It was Aurora, of course.

Her cold eyes took everything in; she was nothing if not watchful. It was similar to something Kurama had told them once. _How do you think I've survived for so long?_ Being aware of one's surroundings were more important than anything else. After living over a thousand years, it's something that is learned well. Yusuke was slowly becoming used to the chill that took to the air when she was in the room. Now was not an exception. Snowflakes fell from the ceiling every now and then, fluttering lazily down to the marble floor. Yusuke wondered idly what it would be like when she was fighting. A blizzard?

"I've already spoken with her," Hiei snapped after a pause. It had been a very short discussion with Murkuro. He knew he needed to stay here with Yusuke, as he had a nagging suspicion that the enemy was much closer than they had previously thought. And now, after the explosive conversation Yusuke had had with the female kitsune, Hiei was even more suspicious of her. Mukuro had allowed him to leave shortly after he arrived. Stating simply that she would be in touch should he need her services sooner than a war breaking out. She knew she did not have to help the young toushin, but she had always had a soft spot for him. Besides, wars could be quite fun.

"Is she sending aid?" Kurama asked, breaking through Hiei's thoughts.

"Of course," he replied curtly.

Kurama nodded, "I believed as much."

Yusuke looked over all of the people standing in this room. Most were his dear friends. He frowned, thinking. Once again, here they were, staring down the barrel of the hypothetical gun, as it were. Watching their lives flash before their eyes in the face of almost certain death. Could he stand to watch them give their lives for him... again? Wouldn't it be easier if... But they wouldn't have any of that. It seemed even Aurora, who had no real ties to him, was willing to put forth the ultimate price.

Demons were truly fascinating creatures. Without much thought, they will lie, cheat, betray, and kill so long as it benefits them in some way to do so. However, some are remarkably intelligent, incredibly powerful, ruthlessly cunning, and, most importantly, fiercely loyal. Loyalty; extremely hard to gain, but never wavering once it is gained. Hiei and Yoko, and perhaps Aurora, were prime examples of this.

Yusuke vaguely heard more conversation taking place around him, but he couldn't quite here it. Thoughts flooded, almost unbidden, through him. Blood. There was blood everywhere. Too much blood. It was Hiei's blood first, the jaganshi's eyes wide as he realized he'd made a terrible, fatal mistake. Deep, red eyes caught Yusuke's. Acceptance filled them. _It's alright, detective, _they said. Then, those eyes, that so matched the blood, faded, becoming Kurama's.

The fox was not completely a fox; he was a mixture of both the dangerous white-haired kitsune and the familiar red-headed human. His vibrant crimson hair was streaked with the silver of Yoko's, his expansive green eyes flecked with a chilling gold. But it was his blood that Yusuke saw clearest. Kurama's eyes were not wide, as Hiei's had been. His taking that blow had not been a mistake; it had been purposeful. He had taken to save his friend. Slowly, Yusuke met Kurama's gaze. It, like Hiei's, was calm, accepting. _It's alright, Yusuke,_ it told him.

The scene changed again, this time, he could see them all, lying before him. Hiei, Koenma and Hokushin were dead, along with so many others, and Kurama nearly was now. He was reaching for his sister's hand. She was mere feet from him, golden eyes fading. She looked away from her struggling twin and up at Yusuke. "Be at peace, young toushin," she whispered, blood snaking its way down from her lip. "We do not regret this sacrifice." Kurama found her hand then and clasped it tightly for a moment, as they too, slipped from life. There was blood everywhere... Too much blood...

No... That one word swept through him. _No...! _He wouldn't let that happen. They had all seen enough pain, felt enough. He wouldn't let them die for him. He would give himself, instead. He would fight, of course, but he would do so alone. He would die, eventually, he knew. But, at least, _they_ would live. Slowly, that old determination filled him. He reached an easy decision. He would sacrifice himself... again... for them.

_Stop, detective, _came a familiar voice, breaking through his thoughts. _Don't be a fool._

Wincing, Yusuke's unfocused eyes remembered suddenly how to see and centered on Hiei. The jaganshi wasn't looking at him, but the slight smirk on his face told Yusuke he hadn't imagined Hiei's voice in his mind.

_I won't let you guys die for me._ The Mazaku told him, unwaveringly.

Hiei's smirk deepened, and he chanced at stern look at Yusuke. _Fool._

Kurama, who, surprisingly, hadn't seemed to take notice of the unspoken conversation before now, fixed Hiei with a carefully blank gaze, before finally, coming to rest on Yusuke. "Yes," he answered Koenma's question, offhandedly, though Yusuke hadn't heard what had been asked. The very wise kitsune never took his eyes off the former detective, even as he spoke.

A small, gentle smile tipped Kurama's lips as he whispered, "Yusuke believes we will step aside and allow him to sacrifice his life so as to spare ours'."

Koenma, looking completely lost, stared between the others in the room, searching for an explanation on the conversation he had obviously missed. "Fool," was whispered to Yusuke. It was so quite, he thought it might have been a thought. The voice, however, was not his own and not Hiei's, either. Chocolate eyes flicked past Kurama to land heavily on another pair of golden irises.

Aurora was watching him with carefully feigned disinterest. "Don't be a fool," she mouthed to him, reminding him eerily of Hiei's previous words. In the few seconds their gazes held on another, many realizations came upon the toushin. The first, and most important, was that he believed he trusted her...

The plans were laid out, Murkuro was contacted again, along with every other demon any of them could think of, who would help. The Demon Lord agreed to send an army and, of course, lead them herself. She refused to miss out on the best action. Chu, Rinku, Toya, Jin, Shishi, and Suzuka were also all summoned, along with anyone they knew who was willing to assist. Yusuke realized with a smirk that he had his own army.

Hiei gazed at the five others in the room, his eyes finally falling on Aurora. "I think we need to see what you're capable of, Fox," he told her.

She didn't bother to look up from the hand-drawn plans in front of her. "Very well," she replied, tone conversational, "but I refuse to waste my time fighting you."

In less than a second, using his inhuman speed, he was right next to her, the tip of his sword against her throat. "You _dare _insult me?" he growled.

"Hiei-!"

"No, brother," she silenced Kurama. Gold met Crimson as she stared at the man holding a sword to her neck. "It wasn't an insult," she told him, calmly. "You are simply beneath the level of my strength." He pushed the sword harder against her skin, drawing blood. "The Mazaku is the only one who could best me in a fight, and I will settle for fighting no other."

"Hiei, stop," Yusuke commanded. "She's right, anyway. I am stronger than you." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't tempt me, detective. I could easily slit you throat, as well," Hiei hissed in response, but he slowly lowered his blade.

Aurora got to her feet, eyes never flickering from Hiei. _Do you truly distrust me so?_

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but whether she noticed or not, she did not comment. Slowly, her cold eyes fell on Yusuke. "Shall we?" she murmured with a slight bow.

He led the way to the training grounds at the back of his home. He and Hiei had spent many hours throwing each other around here, Kurama, too, though he usually just watched. "I normally don't like kicking girl's asses much, but I'll go easy on you," Yusuke taunted lightly.

Some things never change, Kurama thought with a reminiscent smile.

The white Kitsune bowed low to Yusuke. "Very well," she chuckled. Raising one arm, palm facing him, she murmured softly, "We begin."

_**Please, please leave a comment!**_


	7. Chapter 7: Proving Capability

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that. I do not own Lord of the Rings, either. I only borrowed a piece of it to provide an image comparison.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Seven: _**Proving Capability**_

_"I normally don't like kicking girl's asses much, but I'll go easy on you," Yusuke taunted lightly. Some things never change, Kurama thought with a reminiscent smile._

_The white Kitsune bowed low to Yusuke. "Very well," she chuckled. Raising one arm, palm facing him, she murmured softly, "We begin." _

Kurama, Hiei and Koenma had followed the two outside to watch the fight. Hokushin hadn't followed the entire way, but he situated himself near a window overlooking the training grounds to watch. Kurama's eyes glittered with interest. He wasn't sure who the more interested in seeing this fight. He half-hoped, with a grin, that she mopped the floors with his cocky best friend.

There wasn't much speaking after the fight started; it was far too exciting. Energy crackled through the air. Snow was falling feverishly from the sky. The hand Aurora had raised summoned up a bow and arrow, made from pale crimson energy. Yusuke had taken an offensive stance, his right hand forming his familiar, trade-mark gun. As his pointer finger began glowing with a fierce blue light, Aurora notched an energy arrow, tipped with an arrowhead made of ice and pulled it back to strike.

They released both attacks at the same time.

"Spirit Gun!"

"Demon Bow: Ice Arrows!"

Blue met red somewhere in between them and the two energies began to fight, Demon Energy versus Spirit Energy. Though, Yusuke's particular energy was more of a hybrid of the two, then it was pure Spirit, it was still a brilliant blue. Suddenly, the energies exploded, dissipating in a cloud of light purple smoke. Yusuke smirked, as he called, "Not so strong now, are you?"

Aurora rewarded his taunting with a vibrant smile. She raised her arm again, and the same red energy bow appeared. "Demon Bow: Thrice Ice!" Instead of notching one arrow, she notched three. They all had the same sharp, jagged ice tip. She released her hold on the string, letting the arrows fly.

Yusuke barked a laugh. Utilizing his speed, he jumped out of the way. Smirking, he looked at her. "Nice try," he shouted. She snapped her fingers. The arrows flipped backwards, retraced their steps, and again, barreled toward her opponent. So, of course, he lifted himself into the air again. His smug smirk faded however, when they _followed_ him. "What the-"

She did not waste the opportunity of having Yusuke distracted. She was in front of his face in an instant. Being in mid-jump, there was no way for him to dodge. She struck him to the ground, where he stayed a moment long enough for her arrows to hit their mark. Or they would have. With a flick of her wrist, she made them dissipate before they reached him. "Get up," she ordered coolly.

"Alright... So I underestimated you a little bit..." Yusuke muttered, brushing the dirt off his pants. "But I'll get serious, now."

She smiled softly at him. A smile _exactly _like Kurama's. That simple, yet knowing smile. It almost gave him chills. Her expression seemed to him to be screaming _I know something you don't!_ And he didn't like it. He couldn't remember the last time he had his ass handed to him within the first two minutes of a fight. Sensui, if he had to hazard a guess. He was fairly sure, at this point, she was going to be wiping the floor with him in a few more minutes.

"My lord, may I give you some advice?" she murmured, the picture of calm.

"I guess," Yusuke muttered.

"Keep your eyes on my attacks, not on me." Yusuke made some indiscernible noise and frowned. "Now... watch," she whispered, raising her arm again. She didn't make a bow this time, however. There was a slight rumbling sound, and Yusuke couldn't quite tell its exact location before it moved. "Don't listen," she told him. "Sense it."

"Ah..."

"Use your awareness."

The earth erupted beneath him. A millisecond before a gigantic spike of ice impaled him, he jumped away. "Your awareness, Detective!" Hiei called from somewhere to his left. It seemed Hiei had lost a bit of that suspicion in the midst of their fighting. The excitement was contagious, even if he did his best to hide it.

This time, Yusuke listened to them. Throwing out his senses, he realized he could almost see the ice below the ground. It was roughly eight feet to his right... Then six feet to left... Then behind him; he whirled to look. "Ah ha!" he cried triumphantly as he jumped several feet from the place her weapon was about to erupt from.

"Good," Kurama murmured, entranced. Yusuke chanced a glance over at the onlookers. They were all wearing expressions in varying degrees of interest. Kurama was hiding it the least. His eyes sparkled, the ever-present smile was much more pronounced, and he was panting slightly. Fights like these, where there was a lot of power to be experienced and traded, was exhilarating, even if you weren't the one fighting.

Aurora caught Yusuke's attention as she spoke, "Now, if you don't mind, it's my turn to... 'get serious,' as you so eloquently put it." There was a sudden snap, as if, all this time, something was holding all of her energy back. Suddenly, Yusuke was shivering. It was so cold, bone-chilling. Liquid color flowed from her, a pale crimson like her bow and arrows, that somehow managed to be a negative temperature. It was unlike anything Yusuke had seen before. He heard a sharp intake of breath somewhere behind him, he was pretty sure that was Koenma. "I will not complete this attack because I am fairly sure you wouldn't live to tell about it. But I will call forth the... being used in this attack. You wanted to see the extent of my power, so I will gladly show you." She extended both palms to the sky. "I believe you may find this similar to the Fire Child's Dragon, though I have much more control over this..."

The sleeves of her dress fell away. There was a ward placed purposefully on her upper left arm. She removed it with a flick of her other wrist. The energy in the air around them began to crackle and snap with anticipation. It was as if the very air itself could tell there was something coming, something big. "Bringer of Death!" she cried, a white light overtaking her whole left arm. All too quickly, the white turned black and began encompassing her whole slender form. Clouds swarmed the sky where they stood, snow began to fall and swirl at an alarming rate. As if in slow-motion, the scene played out before Yusuke. He was sure that this-whatever she was doing-should probably spark fear into his heart, and it did somewhat, but it was just so... beautiful. Similar to watching a skilled artist paint a breathtaking sunset over an ocean. It was fascinating to behold, especially when he knew she was not going to use this against him. And the energy... Yusuke realized for the first time why Kurama had told him that demons hungered over power, yearned it, chose mates that had it. He know understood that completely. It made his mouth water with... desire.

Not unlike Hiei's Dragon of the Darkness Flame, this being poured from her arm. The color of the liquid-like energy was black. An endlessly depth-less black. Slowly, it manifested into something Yusuke could describe basely as a horse and rider. It even, vaguely, reminded him of something from a movie he'd seen with Keiko; The Lord of the Rings. Those wraiths that were after the ring. Cloaked, dark, maybe evil. Soulless.

Yusuke was fairly certain it was a male born on the horse; it was difficult to discern much beyond that, however. His black, billowing cloak concealed his every detail, save one, his eyes. They glowed a malicious red, as did the horse's. A long, sheathed sword rested on his back, a mere arm's length away should he require its use. Those red eyes seemed to take everything in. He saw everything, missed nothing. Even though he had not been summoned to fight, if the moment arose, he would not hesitate. To kill.

The fear this being brought to the table was palpable in the air around him. The sheer power Yusuke could feel radiating from it sunk into his very soul. He understood, without any trace of doubt, this was a force to be reckoned with. He was also thankful she had only called this... _thing _to prove a point and not to kill him. Because he had absolutely no skepticism that it _would_ kill him. It would kill him, effortlessly, right where he stood.

"Be still," she cooed softly to the rearing horse beside her, caressing her fingers lightly over its nuzzle. The horse reared up once more, but did as she asked. This-whatever this was, bended loyally to her will. She had control of it.

Yusuke, finally able to rip his shocked gaze away, chanced a look over to the others. What he saw _almost _made him laugh. Hiei was staring, mouth agape, at Kurama's sister and her horse and rider. Kurama's eyes were wide, a large array of emotions churning through them. Among them was shock, pride, wonder, and even a bit of fear. Koenma looked positively shell-shocked, eyes wide, staring. Hiei appeared to recover, enough to speak, first. "I... I'm impressed. I have not yet met a being who could control the Bringer like this. That is... no mere feat..." he told her, awe evident in his voice. Though he still didn't laugh, Yusuke did grin at this. He had never seen this reaction in Hiei, and he found it quite funny. Hilarious even, maybe.

Aurora sighed, resting her head against the great beast. "It took quite a long time to learn the technique. Though, I'll admit... I do not wholly control the Bringer. He will do as he sees fit. He does listen to me, but I am his keeper, not his master." She smiled gently up at the rider. "And, if I am killed in battle, he will not hesitate to avenge me."

"Impressive," Kurama murmured, eying his sister.

Aurora beamed graciously at her brother, before turning again to her Bringer. "You may come back now," she whispered, backing away.

The rider kicked his heels into the horse's side, causing it to rear up and charge toward her. Yusuke watched, a gasp escaping his lips when it made contact with her. He feared she was going to be trampled, killed. But she wasn't. He realized she was accepting the being back into herself, absorbing the energy of it. Her body was suddenly engulfed with the black light before it dissipated into her completely.

"Satisfied of my worth?" she asked Hiei, looking exhausted but satisfied with herself.

"Hn."

_**Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I hit a bit of a block writing this fight scene. I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but I think it will do until I get up the willpower to re-write it. Please, as always, let me know what you think. :)**_


	8. Chapter 8: The Truth within the Lies

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Eight: _**The Truth within the Lies**_

_Yusuke realized Aurora was accepting the being back into herself, absorbing the energy of it. Her body was suddenly engulfed with the black light before it dissipated into her completely. _

_"Satisfied of my worth?" Aurora asked Hiei, looking exhausted but satisfied with herself._

_"Hn."_

Several hours after the 'fight' with Aurora, Yusuke went to find her brother. The group had dispersed following the power show, either to rest or to plan. Kurama seemed to have taken up the latter. Yusuke found him in the study across from the fox's room, paper spread out neatly all around him.

"Kurama?"

"Yes, Yusuke?" Kurama murmured, looking up from his carefully drawn plans.

"You don't have to do this."

The kitsune raised a prefect eyebrow. "Do what?"

"This," the toushin replied, gesturing to the papers on the desk. "You don't have to fight for me. I," he paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to die for me. Especially for _me_."

Kurama gave him a thoughtful look before he spoke, "Yusuke, listen carefully, as I should only have to say this one time." He got to his feet so he could better be eye-to-eye with the other. "We are your teammates, your friends. This is what we do. Do not even attempt to convince me that you, given the same position, would not do the same for Hiei or myself." His gold eyes glinted as he said, "Besides, you do not get to have all the excitement for yourself, Mazoku."

Yusuke gave him a weak grin. "I guess," he conceded. Yusuke turned to leave the room. There were many arrangements he needed to make today. He took a few steps towards the door before a strange feeling overtook him. He turned back to look at his friend, "Kurama?" The aforementioned Yoko looked up with a raised brow once more. "Where is she?"

"Aurora?" the clever fox asked, brow arching a bit further. Yusuke nodded. "I believe she retreated outside for some privacy with her thoughts... Why do you ask?"

"I... need to speak to her," Yusuke replied, more calmly then he suddenly felt. She _knew _something, something important.

"I daresay you do not need my permission to do so, Yusuke," the fox said with some unveiled amusement twinkling in his golden eyes.

"Right," Yusuke muttered before promptly exiting and making his way outside. Though it did not seem that she _wanted_ to be found, she was not trying very hard to mask her energy, and the ex-detective found her without having to look too hard.

She stood in the shadows, inhaling deeply the crisply chill air of a dawn that had not yet broken. _Soothing._.. Hesitant movement suddenly caught her eye, effectively ceasing her quite moment. Glancing, she realized who it was that had interrupted her thinking. "My lord," she whispered, allowing her words to be carried away with the gentle breeze. "Forgive me for disturbing you," she told him, even though the opposite was true; he had disturbed her. "I will take leave if you wish it."

"No," he returned quietly. "You were here first. Besides, I'd like a few words."

"Certainly," she murmured with the slightest of bows.

"So why are you out here, alone, at this hour?" he asked with a slight smile.

"It sooths and allows turbulent thoughts to settle," she replied without hesitation.

After a short pause in which he nodded, he asked, "Do you think there will be a war?"

She glanced at the young lord; he was quite blunt. No matter, she thought idly. She wasn't much of one for small talk, anyhow. "I do not doubt it, no," she answered thoughtfully, after a very short hesitation. He did not respond to that, so she took it upon herself to force this conversation in a direction she more preferred. "If I may, young ruler, do you see these lands that stretch before you," she gestured before them at the dark landscape, "your fore-father's lands? Do wish to rein over them for the remainder of your long life?"

One shoulder rose and fell, "I guess so."

She shook her head, a deep frown quickly forming. "That answer is not good enough. There is to be no uncertainty here, my lord. For, I assure you, there is another who is not uncertain, and they are willing to kill and die for it."

"Why are you telling me this? What do you care?" he asked, trying, and failing to see her better through the heavy shadows that obscured her.

"I do not. However, I would like to know if there is a reason I should stay here and fight a war, and perhaps die, for you. There are many things worth dying for, child; uncertainty is not one of them."

He was silent for a very long time before he whispered, "Would you leave then, if I wasn't sure?"

She paused, seemingly to give that question proper thought. "No," she answered finally.

"No?" he echoed, confusion not hidden.

"Nay. I would not leave my foolish brother here to die for something as useless as uncertainty. You may be important to him, that is not difficult to see, but that is simply not good enough." She did not bother to attempt to look at him, "Death is commonplace. To live is to die. Such is the existence of every creature... However, demons detest dying without reason."

"I... know. I am a demon, too, you know," he replied coolly.

A ghost of a smirk fluttered across her face, though Yusuke could barely see it. It was also gone so quickly that he thought he might have imagined it. "I hadn't noticed," came the hushed and emotionless reply. "Apologies, lord," she continued with some impatience seeping into her words, "but I am not one for idle conversation. May I request you get to the sole purpose of your presence here?"

He frowned. "Well, there is something else I wanted to discuss with you."

She made a humming sound in her throat, but did not further reply.

"You're hiding information from us... Please, tell me what I want to know," he replied in a light, but not quite pleading tone.

She chuckled softly at this. Taking a deep breath of the air that so calmed her, she spoke, "I am not at all sure of what you speak, my lord."

Yusuke turned to face her. "Stop lying to me," he requested shortly.

Though it was dark and her face was veiled in shadow, he did not miss the way her chilling golden eyes flashed. "My _lord_," she hissed the last word with disdain she failed to mask completely. It seemed he had finally worn out his welcome, as it were. Silence fell once more for a long, tense few moments. Finally, she broke the silence in saying, "I have told you everything that is of immediate relevance, Mazoku."

Yusuke considered this response. For once, it was not an outright denial, so he supposed he should be at least appreciative of that. He shrugged, "What if I want all the details, relevant or not?"

He was fairly sure she growled at that. Once more there was a delay before she spoke, "I believe the last time we ventured over this particular topic, I gave you some what of a warning. Did you forget it so soon, child?"

Yusuke smirked, "You don't fool me, you know." He tried to meet her eyes but couldn't do much more than look in their general direction. "You remind me of Hiei, when I first met him. He pretended he didn't care, too," he continued, tone conversational.

"Care?" she asked softly, gratefully accepting the momentary change in topic. "I have never cared."

He smiled, "That's exactly what I mean." When she said nothing for a while, he moved closer to her, finally able to see her eyes relatively clearly through the night. She rested a firm gaze on him but allowed his closeness. "You don't have to lie anymore." Chuckling softly, he added, "I promise I won't tell."

She couldn't fight the grimace that marred her face. Recovering slowly, she turned her head away and hissed, "Do not insult me, half-breed. I'll make you wish you hadn't."

"Still pretending..." he murmured, just barely able to hide his amusement. "Hey," he continued, much more seriously, "what's with the whole 'half-breed' thing, anyway? Your brother is a half-demon, too, you know... _He_ would tell me the what I wanted to know if I asked."

Her head snapped back to get a look at him, her expression suddenly no longer angry. It was vaguely thoughtful, mostly unreadable, but a delicate eyebrow raised. "Listen now, as I'll say this just once; I distaste repetition." She waited for his nod before continuing, "I have told you all I feel you should be privy to. However, as you are incorrigibly insistent, I will tell you this." She paused again, a strange light igniting in her eyes. "I assisted in killing Yomi. That is why I came to you. Obviously, I am quite certain you did not commit the act of which you have been accused, as I am in full knowledge of those who did."

"You _what_?" his tone was incredulous, eyes wide.

"As I previously stated, I shall not repeat myself. Furthermore, I am hard-pressed to believe that you did not hear."

He managed to stammer out, "But-but why?"

"Why did I assist in his murder?" A nod from the toushin. "Oh, precious, naive child..." She gave a rather malevolent, low chuckle, "Why, indeed... More information I'm particularly loathe to tell you." She eyed him consideringly for a few moments before, "Very well. You see, Yomi was a," she paused searching for an appropriate word, "exorbitantly power-hungry ruler. He was so absolutely enthralled by his pursuit for consummate control, that he lost sight of anything else. In doing this, he... ended up crossing the wrong demons." Another pause in her explanation. "Do you know how he lost his eye-sight, lord?" A head shake; no, Yusuke truly didn't know. "He crossed some famed demon foxes, a certain Yoko, to be precise. I trust you understand the consequences of such an action?" A nod from the boy. "Well, after he was... taught a proper lesson, no one heard from him for some time." She sighed, "Finally, however, he came out of his relative silence upon somehow discovering one of those foxes had not been killed that fateful night with the Hunter; that one of them was still in the Makai, hidden away. He pursued me, and eventually, he found me. In the terribly weakened state I was, he easily captured me, took me... The rest of that story, child, is rather inappropriate for civilized conversation, so you'll excuse me if I refrain from telling it."

There was a long silence. Yusuke broke it this time, "So you... killed him."

"Indeed," came the dry reply.

Yusuke made a thoughtful sound in his throat. She watched him from the corner of her eye. Perhaps he was uncomfortable with this new information for, instead of continuing the current topic, he said suddenly, "I have a name, you know."

"I am aware," she replied slowly with a slight inflection in her voice, reminding him remarkably, once again of Hiei.

"You should use it."

Yusuke half-expected to hear a 'hn,' but he did not get one. "Your opinion is duly noted," she deadpanned.

"You know, you are exactly like Hiei, except you don't have that freaky third eye. And you can't carry conversations with other people exclusively in you mind, like-"

"It appears we are... no longer alone, toushin," she interrupted softly. Her sharp eyes narrowed at something over Yusuke's right shoulder. She stepped to the side slightly, allowing her a better view of whatever had caught her attention. Unintentionally, she was thrown into more light from this movement, and Yusuke couldn't stop the thought that entered his mind suddenly: _The dim moonlight only makes her more hauntingly stunning..._ He forcibly shook it away; not the time for such things.

Extending a thin, pale hand, delicate tendrils of her power danced searchingly, hungrily away from her. Yusuke watched them escape from her fingertips and was suddenly, forcefully reminded of her brother's own energy, _plantlike_. A deliciously vulpine grin bared her sharp canines. "You fool," she directed at her prey, her tone much colder and harsher than it had been before when she had spoken to the ex-detective.

Quickly, those fine strings of her power found what they were looking for. Yusuke glanced behind him to see what those vine-like extensions of herself had captured. A wild yelp escaped the low-class demon she had ensnared when it realized it had been caught. Her grin merely grew while she eyed her prey. "I daresay I'll get to have a bit of fun with you, vermin," she followed that cold assessment with an even colder laugh. The once insubstantial strings of pale energy that reminded Yusuke of Kurama's vines, became thin, but quite strong, relatively solid structures of ice. They quickly twisted and twined their way, with a fluidity impossible of natural frozen water, until there was not even a dim sliver of hope of escaping them or her. "Yes, pathetic insect, I shall make your demise delightfully slow. Come now," she hissed. She flicked her wrist, ordering her ice spindles to do as bring the demon closer. They obeyed without any trace of hesitation and thrust him roughly to the ground at her feet.

"Now, disgraceful swine, you will tell me everything I wish to know." She paused curling her fingers slowly; the ice responded by tightening mercilessly around their victim. "Is that clear?" she punctuated these last three words with sharp squeezes. The demon below her whimpered and nodded. "Very good," she cooed mockingly. Finally, she raised her chilling gaze to Yusuke. "If you'll excuse me, lord, I have some... _interrogating _to attend to."

Yusuke was suddenly at a loss. He disliked the thought of this demon, enemy or not, being tortured in a way he knew she was not above doing. However, he also knew it would provide them with much needed information... if, of course, she deemed it worthy of sharing. Finally, after a moment of silent debating, he nodded, "Take him out to the training ring." She did not respond with anything other than a blood-thirsty smirk. The demon in her possession whimpering and pleading uselessly behind her as she dragged him away.

Yusuke followed her inside after a few minutes' deliberation of whether or not he truly wanted to be a witness to what was about to take place. By the end, he had decided, with some self-loathing, that he _needed_ to see it. He was, after all, a demon himself. A blood-thirsty creature that, when it came right down to it, ran highly on instincts. Steeling his resolve, and trying to forget that his human self was gagging, he moved towards the fighting grounds. Two other curious demons decided to follow, as well.

_**I decided to cut the chapter here, as a torture scene comes next, and I felt that it needed to stand on its own at the beginning of a new chapter. As always, if you liked what you read, or even if you didn't, don't hesitate to let me know! :)**_


	9. Chapter 9: Obtaining Answers

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Nine: _**Obtaining Answers**_

_Steeling his resolve, and trying to forget that his human self was gagging, he moved towards the fighting grounds, preparing to watch what would surely be torture. Two other curious demons decided to follow, as well._

Yusuke felt, more than saw or heard, his two companions. "Come to watch the show?" he asked a bit bitterly.

"If you dislike what is about to take place, why don't you stop her from doing it?" Hiei hissed back. "Though, I'd rather you didn't; I'm intrigued to see what she'll do to that lowly demon scum."

Kurama chuckled darkly in agreement with what the Jaganshi had said. Yusuke sighed, "I can't stop her. I'm too... interested to see what happens." The fox and the fire demon both laughed softly at this.

"Blood-thirsty, are we?" Kurama mused quietly as they neared their destination.

"You could say that," the lord replied darkly. The conversation between them ended there as they reached their destination and lifted their gazes to watch what had already begun.

"Answer me, vermin," Aurora hissed. The air around them was cold, snow was falling absently all around. The previous tendrils of ice Yusuke remembered were still wrapped harshly around her prisoner. "I said," she growled, lifting the ice dagger in her hand meaningfully, "_answer me_... I promise you there will be pain to pay for your uncooperative behavior in this." She sliced the side of his face with her cold weapon. The demon before her hissed in pain as the blood trickled down his cheek but did not respond. Yusuke noted that was not his first wound at her hand. It appeared she had already taken the liberty of removing a good chunk of flesh from his right leg. "Very well," her tone carried an almost laughing note.

Her hand moved again, the dagger now up against one of his fingers. Still, he stayed silent, so she thrust her wrist forward. She smirked as the thin dagger dug deeper underneath his fingernail. He yelped, "Alright! Yes, _he _sent me." She didn't let up, however.

"And what were his orders?"

"I-I don't know! All I was supposed to do was spy on Raizen's brat! That's all he said!" the yellow demon croaked.

"Liar," she whispered, moving to another nail as soon as the first one was detached. Blood dripped to the floor in a little puddle.

"No! No! I-I would never, _never_ lie to you, mistress."

She laughed at this. "Don't insult me, you filthy swine." She removed her knife and turned it over in her palm once before crushing it. "Obviously, I'm not giving you the proper amount of pain." She gripped the forefinger of the opposite hand from the one she had just previously been working on. "Last chance," she whispered in his ear, bending the finger upwards.

He only winced in response. _Snap... snap. _She broke his finger in two places before moving to the next. He was crying out now, "That's all I know!" _Snap. _"I swear!" _Snap. _"I _swear!_" he screamed over and over. After she had broken the rest of the fingers, with equally sickening crunches, she let his hand drop.

"One... last... chance..." she hummed softly, the danger appearing in her hand again.

"Okay, okay! He-he's mad, real angry."

"With whom?"

"Well, miss, with you, mostly."

She laughed again, though this time it made Yusuke's stomach clench. He had no idea what they were talking about, but her tone was... disturbing him. She was... _enjoying_ this. "What else, pitiful insect?"

"Well-well," the panic and pain was causing him to stutter. "He-he's gonna come here, as soon as I return and make my report, miss."

"That, obviously, shall not occur... I'm afraid I cannot allow you to make that report."

He let out a high pitched squeak. "Please! Don't kill me! Don't kill me or else- or else I can't tell you anything more!"

"Then you had better start providing me with the remaining details. Now, tell me, when is he planning on moving?"

The demon merely shook his head. "I don't-"

She cold eyes glinted in anger. Raising the dagger, she moved it towards his face. He closed his eyes in hollow fear. Her delicate tongue slipped past her lips, wetting them slightly. She pressed the knife against one eyelid. Slowly, the sharp icicle disappeared into his eye-socket. An agonized, animalistic screech escaped the creature below her. It broke off into a choked sob. "He's going to kill you," he whimpered to her.

"I've no doubt he'll attempt to," she agreed offhandedly. Her head tilted to the side. "Would you like the other done, as well?" she asked, gesturing with her knife to the other eye.

A slight head shake was her answer. "He has it, you know," the dim creature was laughing now. "He's going to suck out your soul, demoness. And the brat's soul, too. Maybe that damned fox, also."

She made a hissing noise in anger. "When did he lay hands on it?" she demanded.

"No, no, no," he sang, tone crazed.

"Oh, don't lose it, now," she snapped, irritated. "I'm not finished." In the hand not holding the dagger, she produced water from her fingertips and proceeded to pour it down the demon's throat. He choked and sputtered, but this seemed to bring him back into some clarity. "That's better, isn't it?" she sounded amused.

"I'll tell you, but only if you promise to kill me quickly," he said finally.

An eyebrow quirked, "That depends solely on your information."

"The Master has it, mistress. He found it. He can't use it yet, though, doesn't know... Only you... He wants to kill you with it. Said your betrayal will destroy your soul... Mistress, he found it in the cave, where it's kept."

"What else?" was her quick demand. Yusuke was believed there was a tiny trace of fear in her hard gaze.

"On the night he once spoke of; that's when he'll come. When the... the moon is- With... He'll come with _them_. And-and he wants the kingdom. Wanted you. But not- not this way... Master has it, mistress. Master has it! He'll use it! He'll kill you all-" In apparent blind anger, she stabbed through his other eye. His howl seemed to bring her out of her momentary lapse into thought, however.

"I believe you've earned your death wish, you damned fool." With a flick of her wrist, his head fell to the floor with a dull thud.

"Bravo, sister," Kurama suddenly called, clapping his hands twice. "That was quite a show." Her head snapped towards him.

"Yoko?" Her face became unreadable as she realized the other three in this room had surely seen and heard everything that had just taken place. "I had not sensed your arrival, brother." She cursed herself silently over and over for her carelessness in not taking notice of them.

"What was that about?" Hiei asked coldly. "Who is the 'he' that worthless creature spoke of, and what does he have?"

"That, Fire Child, is not truly your concern," she returned easily. Her eyes flicked to Yusuke, "I believe we have nearly six days before he'll make his first move."

Before Yusuke could respond however, Kurama spoke, "The full moon." His eyes traveled to the lowly demon she had justed killed. "And him?"

"A slave. Remarkably unintelligent, but his information was slightly helpful... If it was at all correct." She moved to wipe blood from her hands.

Kurama turned slightly to look at Yusuke, then Hiei. "I'd like a moment with my sister, if that's alright?" His eyes lingered on Hiei just a little too long, Yusuke noticed, and Kurama gave the barest of nods. Hiei had definitely spoken telepathically with Kurama. Yusuke wondered vaguely what had been said. He didn't ask, though.

"Come, Detective," Hiei muttered coolly. Yusuke followed him from the room.

When they were out of earshot of the foxes, Yusuke stopped and turned to look at Hiei, "What happened out there?"

Hiei stopped walking just ahead of him but didn't turn to face him. "That fox interrogated a demon. What did it look like to you?" he asked, words dripping with the usual sarcasm.

Yusuke rolled his eyes even though Hiei wasn't looking. "Not what I meant. Who were they talking about?"

"The mastermind of this operation, I imagine. In case you weren't listening, Detective, I am equally as unsure as you are."

Yusuke almost rolled his eyes again; he settled with a sigh instead. "Hiei... I think I should tell you..."

"I'm listening."

"Aurora... She told me that she killed Yomi herself... With someone else's help," he added hastily.

Hiei did turn around at this. One eyebrow lifted a fraction. A dark smirk formed on his face. "Did she now?" The eyebrow lowered, "I'm not so surprised, however... Not many, I'm quite sure, are actually aware of his murder. I had wondered how she happened upon that information so quickly..."

"Do you... Do you think that her being here is just a... a ruse?"

Hiei was silent as he considered an answer. "Honestly, Detective, I highly doubt she would have offered up that information to you that if it was going to compromise herself."

"But she- she _killed_ Yomi."

"So that merely makes her a force to be reckoned with. We knew that already."

Yusuke didn't speak for a few moments, then he asked quietly, "Hiei, do you think she'll kill me, too?"

Hiei smirked, "She'll have to go through Kurama and I before that happens, so no, she won't kill you; we will not allow it."

Yusuke nodded, "Thanks."

Hiei snorted and resumed walking, saying, "I'm going to my room. Don't bother me unless it's extremely important."

Yusuke murmured his understanding and didn't follow him any further. Instead, he decided he'd head to his room, too. He could use a nap... _Besides, Kurama will come find me later to tell me what Aurora had said, won't he?_

:-:-:-:-: _**(Scene change... Would it be helpful to use that more?)**_

"Tell me what this all means, Aurora," Kurama demanded. He'd lost his patience. "Enough with dodging my questions."

"Yoko, you will not understand even if I attempt to explain," she eyes and features had softened immensely. Kurama was the only one she ever allowed her guards to come down around. With him, she wasn't cold-blooded, vicious, demonic; around him, she was patient, understanding, even loving.

"Try me."

"I killed him," she whispered, eyes suddenly pleading.

"Yes, I watched you do it just moments ago, remember?" he muttered dryly.

"Not him," she gestured offhandedly to the beheaded demon behind her. "Yomi. I killed Yomi."

Yoko's golden eyes flashed and narrowed, "You did not think this was something you should have brought forth in the beginning?"

She looked away from him for a moment. "No, I..." she began uncertainly. "No," she repeated, more firmly. "I apologize." She lifted her gaze from the floor, gold meeting gold. "You must understand, brother. You must know why I did it."

"Inform me then," he snapped. He was livid.

"Yomi... kidnapped me after the night you fled to Human World."

The anger in Kurama's eyes dimmed a bit, "And what did he do with you after he took you?"

Her features hardened, "He... attempted to impregnate me. He required another heir."

The cold anger was back, though this time it wasn't directed at his twin, "I see." Silence reined for a while before he spoke again. "Seed did not take?" he hissed.

"No," she replied without emotion. "And because of that, he then attempted to end my life. Which, obviously, did not take, either."

"How did you escape?"

"We're foxes, Kurama. _I'm _a _fox,_" she returned, as though she felt that should have been quite plain to him.

"When did you return to kill him?"

She sighed gently, "Years later. I needed to get stronger... Now, know this; I did not take his life alone."

"No?"

She shook her head, "No, I had assistance. Though, I daresay I did not need it."

"Who?"

She suddenly looked ill. "I cannot tell you that," she stammered uncharacteristically.

Kurama growled quietly, "And why is that?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now, please, I need to go and sleep."

"No. Not so fast. You will tell me. _Now._"

"Kurama-"

"No, Aurora," he practicality roared. "I'm not some pawn you can use to your own devises. I will know all of the details."

She sighed in defeat and nodded. She breathed, "It was-"

He didn't get to who exactly it was, however, as Koenma burst outside just then. "Kurama!" He didn't notice the deadly look on the youko's face. "Kurama, we've got a problem!"

"Wonderful..." he muttered under his breath. "What is it, Koenma?" he called with more restraint than he felt he had.

"Yusuke is gone."

Kurama whirled, "_Gone?_ What are you talking about? Hiei was with him; I saw them both just moments ago."

"Well, he's physically _here_, but he- he won't wake up. Won't respond to anything. I tried yelling at him, shaking him; I even slapped him. Nothing."

_This day just keeps getting better... _Kurama thought bitterly. _And dawn hasn't even broken yet... Isn't that just fantastic?_ "Where is he?"

"In his room."

Kurama bared his teeth, "I swear, Koenma, if he's merely sleeping, I may be forced to _teach_ you the difference." Anger rolled off his body as he stalked back inside and towards Yusuke's room.

Koenma turned to Aurora, "You aren't going to follow him?"

She scoffed, "Get out of my sight before I force you to, princeling." And with that, she swept away, too. Koenma was left standing in the middle of the empty (except for a dead demon) patch of dirt, a look disbelief painted on his face.

"Demons are _unbelievable!"_

_**Things are going to start heating up here soon. One more chapter, maybe two, and we'll be to fighting/war scenes. Thank you to those who have been patient with the building story line, and thank you to those who have left responses! You, dear readers, make writing all the more worth while. :) See you next chapter!**_


	10. Chapter 10: Reliving Death

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Ten: _**Reliving Death**_

_Kurama bared his teeth, "I swear, Koenma, if Yusuke's merely sleeping, I may be forced to teach you the difference." Anger rolled off his body as he stalked back inside and towards Yusuke's room._

_Koenma turned to Aurora, "You aren't going to follow him?"_

_She scoffed, "Get out of my sight before I force you to, princeling." And with that, she swept away, too. Koenma was left standing in the middle of the empty (except for a dead demon) patch of dirt, a look disbelief painted on his face._

_"Demons are _unbelievable!_" _

Kurama moved through the halls quickly until he came to the young toushin lord's room. "Yusuke?" he called at the door with a knock. There was no response, so he let himself in. "Yusuke," he said as he approached the bed. It looked as though he was only sleeping, but then-

"No, Detective!" Yusuke cried. Kurama raised a brow.

The fox knelt beside the bed and touched the boy's face. "Yusuke..." The dark-haired boy flinched away from his touch but did not wake. "What is going on?" Yusuke was trembling and pale. His face was too-warm and coated in a sheen of sweat.

"Urameshi!" Yusuke exclaimed again. "Get out of the way!" He was panting now.

That sentence sparked a memory within Kurama. _The day Yusuke died..._

:-:-:-:-:

_This damned demon has us trapped. It's some sort of multi-dimensional creature. If I wasn't completely sure it would do no good, I'd have called my dragon by now to get us out. Yusuke is down there, fighting. We should be there with him. Kurama is looking more nervous than I've ever seen him... "Detective..." I hiss under my breath. We _need _to get out of here. "Lover-boy," I call to Itsuki as I turn around. "Let us out of here, and you'll keep the ability to breed."_

_He laughs. I knew he wouldn't listen, but it was worth a chance. I turn my eyes back to Yusuke. Sensui has sprouted a gun for a hand... And he's letting Yusuke have it. The detective's screams of pain are getting even to me. The fool is over there crying in the corner, trying to get his sword to work. I almost roll my eyes. We're completely fucked if we have to rely on that idiot... _

_I think this may very well be the end... Yusuke is a human, and as such, he cannot take many more bullet wounds. Do something! And, just when I'm sure there is no hope, who decides to grace us with his presence? That damned Prince. And here I was thinking this day couldn't possibly go any further downhill. Damn._

_There's nothing else for it. If Kuwabara can't his sword to work in a matter of the next few minutes, I'm releasing the Dragon. I'll be damned if I let these creeps get away with this unscathed. I do not even care if the Dragon kills us, which is quite plausible at this range. It would be worth it if we took this Itsuki bastard with us. I turn my attention grudgingly back to the fight. _

_I know what Yusuke is planning now... He's going to allow himself be killed. No, goddammit, Yusuke. I will not have you die this day. You are still needed. You are still a part of this team. You are still my... my _friend. _"Come on, you fool. Get us out of here," I mutter to Kuwabara. He's trying, it seems, but he isn't doing it fast enough. I hate being unable to change anything. _

_There! Finally! Kuwabara raises that sword we've all been waiting for. Ituski is yelling something, "I've done all I can! Finish him, Sensui!" Kuwabara swings. It works, and we fall from that damned beast. However... we're too late... Yusuke isn't going to move in time to miss that attack. Sensui is going to... "No, Detective!" He looks over at us. There is grim acceptance in his eyes. _

_"Urameshi! Get out of the way!" Yusuke's mouth tilts up into that grin, the grin that only he has, just as Sensui gets to him. I know plenty about mortal wounds to know one what I see it. Sensui has pierced at his heart, effectively ceasing its beating; ceasing his life..._

No... You fool! _I knew we would never make it to him in time. He had meant for this to happen for some time now. He had meant to give his life for this, for us. I can only hope we're strong enough to make any difference. I am fairly sure his death is be a complete waste..._

_When we hit the ground, Kuwabara stumbles toward the detective. "He can't... He can't..."_

_"Trial of humanity; defense rests." His very voice makes me want to gouge his heart out. Slowly. How _dare _he speak of Yusuke that way?_

_"Come on, stop clowning around," Kuwabara says as he forces a laugh, "prankster. I get it; it's payback for me tricking you with Toguro. Good one." He kneels beside Yusuke. "Too bad I'm not as gullible as you, big lame-o." He starts to shake the detective. I haven't the faintest idea as to what he is trying to accomplish with this; the dead do not respond. "I mean, I'll just cover up your mouth and nose. You can't complain, right? I mean, dead guys don't gotta breath." There is, obviously, no reply nor reaction from Yusuke. "Look! You're plan to motivate us worked. I broke us out. Now, let's beat Sensui together and go home. Come on, I'm not dumb." You're certainly acting like it right now... "See, you can't hide your heartbea-... Urameshi..." Ah, and finally, he gets it. Gods, he is an idiot. He apparently has a large amount of spiritual awareness. Even a fool such as him should have been able to feel the total absence of what was Yusuke Urameshi..._

_I'm not sure which emotion is consuming me more completely; anger or grief. I have never felt anything close to what I'm feeling in this moment. All I can do is bow my head beside my two comrades in a short moment of silence for our fallen leader. Sensui dares speak of his death, as though he could give a fuck less. My blood is boiling, and yet, my heart is breaking. I never thought I would be able to even think those words, but it's the truth. Yusuke was... my friend. But more than that, he, in our short time together, gained my trust and my respect. I could count on one hand those who have earned that and still have fingers to spare. How can I not mourn the loss of something so significant?_

_I can hear Kurama's agonized thoughts trembling through our bond. _Hiei, he's... Yusuke is... No... _I know already. He is dead, yes... I swallow with some difficulty around the knot that is tightening in my throat. I realize I'm not too far from allowing a few tears to fall in honor of my favorite Spirit Detective, my friend. This realization is what spurs me into action. _Sensui will **pay **for what he's done. _I find my feet and rush him. Raising my arm, I cry out, "Here's a one-way ticket for you straight to Hell, you BASTARD!"_

:-:-:-:-:

"Here's a one-way ticket for you straight to Hell, you BASTARD!" Yusuke screamed, body tense, arms thrown to the sides. His energy was threatening to break free from him.

"Oh, for the love of..." Kurama knew suddenly what was wrong with Yusuke. He stalked to the hall, where Aurora was leaning patiently against the opposite wall. "Go get Hiei. Wake him, no matter what you have to do to accomplish it."

She nodded, shrugged off the wall and swept down the hallway towards the fire demon's room. Kurama turned back to the boy. Frowning, he filled a bowl with water from the adjacent bathroom and grabbed a few wash cloths. Carefully, he wiped the sweat from the other's brow and hoped the cool towels would help lower the fever.

While Kurama tended to their lord, Aurora stepped into Hiei's room, not bothering to knock. "Jaganshi?" she called from the door-way. There was no response. She sighed, "Hiei?" Her eyes swept the room carefully before they fell on a sleeping figure dressed in black clothing balled up on the bed. Moving to his side, she murmured, "Wake up. You're harming your young link-partner." Hiei's form shifted, but he didn't wake. "Wake up, Jaganshi," she repeated sharply.

He jerked away from her voice, and his eyes snapped open. "What the hell do you want?"

She smirked faintly, "You're memories are harming the young lord. He is clearly new to his link and is unaware of how to block your emotions yet. You're hurting him."

"Fuck," he muttered, jumping from the bed.

"He's in his bed," she told him as she watched him move briskly from the room.

Hiei blurred to Yusuke's room. "Kurama, what's wrong with him?" Hiei asked as he slipped into the room.

The youko rounded on him immediately, "Tell me, Hiei, did you not think it was necessary to explain to him what might happen if you became overwhelmed in your memories? Did you not think it was necessary to teach him how to protect himself from being lost within them, as well?" The fox was seething. Hiei doubted he could remember a time when he'd seen the fox this angry with him.

"Hn," Hiei stepped beside the troubling from of the ex-detective. "Hold his arms, Kurama." As the angry kitsune came to do as he was told, Hiei removed the ward from his Jagan. Opening his third eye, he plunged into Yusuke's mind to find him.

:-:-:-:-:

_The dragon burst forth from me. _I'll kill you, Sensui_, I thought. Yusuke is dead... I'd done nothing to help him. I couldn't save him. I- _"Detective!" -_something. Damn, these human feelings. Damn Yusuke for causing me to fell them. Damn- "_Detective!" _-not being strong enough._

_Sensui is evading my dragon, but I won't going to give up so easily. I can feel Kurama change forms behind me and take up the chase- "_Yusuke!" _The orange-haired idiot stands still for a few more seconds before he, too, starts to run- "_Yusuke, snap out of it! Push these memories away from you!"

"I... I can't... They're everywhere, Hiei."

_We burst through the hole towards Demon World. I try to steer my thoughts away from Yusuke and onto this fight. Now is not- _"Yes, you can! Wake up! Open your eyes!"

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke cried out and gasped for air, like someone surfacing from water after nearly drowning. "What the..." he rasped, "_hell_ just happened?"

"_Hiei," _Kurama shot the fire demon a sharp look, which he pointedly ignored, "failed to mention a slightly significant detail of your shared link. While both you and he are asleep, your minds will open more thoroughly to one another. You haven't been linked long enough to have figured out how to subconsciously block these memories and thus, you became lost within it. Hiei had to bring you out of it with the Jagan," Kurama tone still carried an edge of irritation. He continued to wipe Yusuke's forehead with a damp cloth. "While we're on the subject, that particular memory was of the day Sensui killed you, wasn't it?"

Yusuke nodded, closing his eyes while he tried to catch his breath. He was still reeling from reliving that memory. He had wanted to see it, but it was so... overwhelmingly emotion-filled he was shocked. "Will that happen all the time?" he asked breathlessly.

"No," Hiei replied. "I'll be sure that it doesn't. When there is not so much going on, I'll teach you how to block it the same way I taught Kurama."

Yusuke nodded, eyes still shut. "Let's let him sleep, Hiei," Kurama murmured, following that statement with a meaningful look.

"Hn," and the two friends walked from the room.

Kurama gazed at Hiei. The previous anger he had felt had been completely consumed by a nagging curiosity. "Why that particular memory, Hiei?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that yet, but I suppose there isn't any point in denying it further." Kurama waited patiently. "The Jagan..." He turned to face Kurama. "It can sometimes predict future events, as you know."

The puzzle pieces were coming together in Kurama's mind, but he did not like the picture they were forming. "And I'm going to assume that prediction had something to do with that particular memory." The fire demon nodded slowly. "And so Yusuke will..." Kurama trailed off, inwardly alarmed.

"Yes."

Kurama closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, Hiei, you know what we must do then."

"Assure that does not happen."

"Precisely."

As the two continued their walk down the hall, they missed the golden eyes that glinted in the shadows. _So Hiei's Jagan is foretelling the boy's death in the near future... Interesting..._


	11. Chapter 11: A Warning to the People

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Eleven: _**A Warning to the People**_

_As the two continued their walk down the hall, they missed the golden eyes that glinted in the shadows. So Hiei's Jagan is foretelling the boy's death in the upcoming fight... Interesting..._

Aurora swept from the hallway as soon as her brother and the fire demon had vanished. A frown tipped her eyebrows downward as she moved quickly outside. She needed to be quick about this; if anyone saw her... knew what she was doing... Well, she just wouldn't allow that to happen.

The shadows did their job effectively; she was hidden, even to a demon's sharp eyes. "The plans have been set forth. You know what to do. I'll be waiting." Keen gold eyes flashed and dull purple lowered in understanding. "Well? What are waiting for? Get going," the female voice hissed sharply before turning. Two blurred shapes moved away and silence reined in the night once more, but there was a waft of insidiousness in the air this night.

:-:-:-:-:

"I'm sorry, Yusuke, but I think you need to have Hokushin call your people. I think you need to make a formal speech to them," Koenma said evenly.

"I know that," Yusuke replied, a bit of anger coloring his words. "I just..."

"Aren't sure what to tell them?"

Brown eyes snapped to the only female in the room, the one who had spoken. "Right."

She gave him a half-hearted smile, "I'll produce something for you. Not unlike my brother, I have a certain way with words."

Hiei watched the conversation between the three others in the room with carefully feigned indifference. "Should we call Kuwabara to help with the fight?" Hiei nearly laughed at Koenma's sudden suggestion.

"No," Yusuke replied without hesitation, his tone clearly stating finality.

"Why not?" The Price of Death actually looked as if he honestly wasn't sure.

"Has it ever occurred to you," Hiei stepped in, "that _some_ of us actually have better things to do than come running to your aid?"

Koenma raised an eyebrow, "Well, to get technical, he'd be running to Yusuke's aid."

"What did I just say?" Yusuke huffed. "It was one word, Pacifier Breath, and two letters at that; even you aren't that stupid." He added with an eye-roll.

"How king-like of you," Koenma commented idly, realizing he had lost this little argument.

"I'll have something prepared within the hour for you, lord," Aurora stated quietly as she swept from the room. Hiei was sure he spotted something that looked suspiciously like a smile on her face. So he wasn't the only one that thought Koenma being put in his place by Yusuke was amusing.

The fox did not lie. In less than an hour, she returned to Yusuke with a delicately written speech on a long piece of parchment. "Will this suffice?" she asked lightly.

"Yes," was the response.

A slight smile tipped her perfect lips, "You may want to actually read it before you decide."

Yusuke nodded with a grin, recognizing the rare occurrence of humor from the icy kitsune. "I'm sure it's adequate." But his eyes lowered to the paper. Within a few minutes, he nodded again. "Great." Though it didn't sound as though it really was.

"It is necessary, you know," she murmured. He gave her a quizzical look. "They may very well have to."

"Right," he sighed. He knew that, but... He sighed again as he went to have Hokushin summon his people to the grounds out front of his fortress for a formal address. He needed to focus. _Focus..._ _Riiight... _

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke gazed down at the demons gathered below him, the citizens of Raizen's kingdom, of _his _kingdom. "My people," Yusuke's voice rumbled over the crowd. Immediately, this caused an uproar of approval from the mass below him. He couldn't help but swell minutely with pride for one single moment. "I've called upon you today to bare news." They silenced to listen.

"Lord Yomi is dead." The crowd roared again. "Make no mistake," he continued with nary a pause, "I did not take any part in it. However, there are those who believe otherwise." He took a moment to allow that information to permeate before he pushed on, "There will a be a war, I believe." Another uproar. "And so, the most vital matter of which I have summoned you here is this: I call upon you, my people, to fight for me."

"To the death," came a definite feminine whisper from the shadows behind him. Reminding him of their previous conversation.

Yusuke faltered slightly, though, to his credit, his voice did not waver as he repeated this to his people, "To fight to the death, should the need arise."

"Good," the deceptively silken voice praised him quietly.

The crowd was silent for a moment before Yusuke heard the chanting begin, "Long live Lord Urameshi! Long live the King!" Yusuke was firmly reminded of the day his people had learned of Raizen's death, though today, it meant simply that he had their loyalty, and they would, in fact, if the need arose, die for their King.

He smiled as he continued with his speech. Maybe he wasn't doing such a bad job as ruler, after all.

:-:-:-:-:

"They'd be fools to declare war against Yusuke at this point; he has half of the Makai rallied behind him."

"They'll still come," Aurora replied knowingly.

"How do you know that?" was the sharp response.

"_You _would be a fool to think any different. They shan't be deterred to easily."

"They'll lose."

"Perhaps," she conceded. "But they'll still come."

Hiei still looked a bit unconvinced, but he really couldn't argue. Demons were stubborn and bloodthirsty... and quite a few were just stupid. "When should we expect them then?"

"As I told you before, I imagine we have until the full moon."

"I don't believe they'll wait so long," Koenma cut in.

"Why do you believe that?" was the dry reply.

"Because word has reached Yusuke's people now. Won't they strike before everyone can ready themselves?"

"Doubtful. If they already have a solid plan, rushing in days early would hinder more than help them. I don't think they were planning on relying on the element of surprise anyhow."

Kurama entered the room suddenly. "I've received a report of movement at the border."

Aurora looked displeased, Koenma looked smug and Hiei smirked. "Oh? What kind of movement?"

"It's difficult to say at the point. Several scouts have been sent." Kurama glanced around the room. "Where is Yusuke?"

Hiei gestured toward the same door Kurama had entered from, "Speaking with Hokushin and a few of his other advisors. It would seem they don't trust some of the intel we've received." To his credit, those his neck itched to turn, he did not look at Aurora.

Kurama nodded, "I see." He, however, did look to his sister. "Which part of your information did they dislike?"

She feigned thought for a moment before she spoke lightly, "Oh, all of it, if I remember correctly." There was a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Kurama rolled his eyes with a sigh, "_All _of it?"

"Yes, something about kitsunes being untrustworthy. It seems there are some out there that are _thieves!_ Can you imagine, brother? A kitsune thief..." There was laughter dancing in her eyes.

"Yes," Kurama deadpanned, "Imagine that." He allowed a knowing smirk to jump to his lips as he turned to Hiei, "It seems you aren't the only one who doesn't trust her, Hiei." A dark glare was his reward. This only caused his smirk to widen.

"Don't trust me, Jaganshi?" Aurora laughed. "That's quite alright. I can't name any that do." She turned, informing Kurama as she left, "I'll be in my room." Gracefully, she swept through the doorway. "Play nice now, boys," she called as she passed over the threshold.

After she was gone, Hiei rounded on Kurama. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Humor sparkled in the fox's eyes, but he said nothing. "I have good reason not to trust her," he snapped. "I'm aware that she's your sister, but have you forgotten what being in Demon World is like? What demons here are like? She's dangerous. She wouldn't be here at all if it didn't benefit her in some way."

Kurama looked completely unperturbed, "Perhaps she just knows which side will win."

Hiei scoffed, "That may be true, but she's a force to be reckoned with. No matter what side she had chosen, she would be able to make it out alive if she chose to. So why is she here? At least if she won against us, there would land to gain. What is there to gain from fighting for us?"

"Her brother."

"Do you honestly think-?"

"Yes, Hiei, I do. What of Yukina? Do you mistrust _her_?"

"That is an entirely different-"

"No, Hiei, it really isn't. Besides, if she hasn't already tried to assassinate Yusuke, she isn't going to. She's had ample opportunity to try, and she hasn't."

"Hn." Hiei glared at the wall. "That still doesn't mean I trust her."

"I never said you had to. I'm merely pointing out fact and informing you that _I _do trust her. With our lives."

"Fine, fox, but don't say I didn't warn you," Hiei snapped and stalked from the room.

Koenma, who had remained remarkably silent through that entire exchange, eyed Kurama thoughtfully. "Yes?" the fox asked sharply after a few silent minutes of this.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Perhaps you should refrain, it doesn't suit you." And he, too walked from the room before a reply could be formed.

"Demons are... _unbelievable!"_

:-:-:-:-:

The days before battle were remarkably quiet. Yusuke was in the middle of everything, but he didn't let on how much it stressed him. Aurora and Kurama took as much of his political burden as they were able, while Hiei spent time readying the troops.

"Yes, my lord knows this. Thank you." Aurora informed the demon before her. He had felt the need to complain about his offspring's safety. As he left, the female fox glanced at Yusuke, feeling the lord's eyes upon her. "Everything will be taken care of, lord; Yoko and I will see to it."

He blinked. Had he been staring? A slight blush took to his cheeks before he marched away to take care of something else. Aurora smirked slightly and turned back to the crowd of Yusuke's people. Some were here with complaints, most were here to extend their support. Kurama did not miss the look on Yusuke's face when he had been looking at Aurora. _Interesting. _

Hours into what Aurora believed to be their last night before the enemy moved in, she removed herself to the darkest place behind Yusuke's fortress. Kurama soundlessly followed. She sighed and leaned heavily against the firm wall, closing tired eyes. Crossing her arms, she smiled gently, "You can come out now, brother."

He chuckled quietly into the dark, "Ah, caught."

She didn't open her eyes but her smile grew slightly, "Why have you followed me?"

"Can a brother not keep his sister company?"

"Come now, Yoko, I know you much better than to believe that."

"Touché," he conceded. "I feel bloodshed on the horizon. I'm sure you can sense it, too. And so, I felt I may not have any other opportunity to say this." One golden eye flickered open to watch her brother. He took a step closer to her. "Dearest sister, you know I trust you with my life."

"I'm aware," she replied cautiously.

"Yes, and I am trusted by you. But allow me to get to my point." He took steps closer until he was standing directly in front of her. The other chilly eye of the set opened. "Believe me when I say, Yusuke is very important to me."

"I'm aware," she repeated, equally as cautious as the first time.

"Furthermore, I will not stand for any harm to come to him... Not even from you." Her eyes flashed. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked softly, allowing warning to darken his tone.

"Crystal," she hissed. Something deadly was lurking in her eyes, and Kurama knew her enough not to miss it.

"You haven't told me everything, not even now." His tone was nearly conversational, though he was seething inside.

"Too correct you are, brother," she said with a laugh, a searingly fake laugh. "Though now, I cannot seem to recall why I would have done such a thing!" Eyes so matching his own narrowed. "Ah," her tone was dangerous again, "I _think_ I remember now." She stood on her toes to come closer to his meeting his height. Staring into mirror reflections of her own eyes, she spoke clearly, "Perhaps it is because you _lack faith in me_."

"Not at all... Don't make me regret placing trust in you," he told her softly.

Her eyes narrowed further. "Don't play games with me, Yoko. Do you think I'll kill the boy? Is that it? Has the Jaganshi told you the whole of his vision? Well, has he? Do you know _who_ he saw murder the young king?" She bared sharp teeth in a vicious smile because she knew she had won. "It was you, Yoko."

"You're a liar." She was bluffing. She _had_ to be bluffing. But that assurance he repeated to himself silently didn't ease the brick that had formed in his stomach.

"Am I?" she stepped away from him, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes again. "I am no more a liar than you, brother."

"We're in trouble then."

"Quite," she replied evenly. The fight was already over.

Kurama leaned over to her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Stay alive, am I clear?"

"Crystal," she smiled faintly.

Kurama moved briskly through the dark and back to the doors leading inside. "Protect him, brother," carried on the gentle breeze to meet his sensitive ears.

:-:-:-:-:

Dawn came quickly. Yusuke found he had spent the night gazing out his favorite window in his study. That he couldn't sleep went without saying. No good ruler sleeps on the eve of his battle. He sighed. It was, unfortunately, not thoughts of battle that occupied his mind, however.

"My Lord?" He nearly blanched at the sound of her voice.

He deflected the nervousness he felt with some dry humor, "I have a name; use it."

She didn't quite take the bait, "They're coming."

His head snapped up to look at her. "How far?" he asked, his outside appearance the picture of calm.

A delicate shoulder rose and fell in response before, "Less than fifty miles off, I'm told."

"Alright, get Hiei and your brother. Then the three of you are to come back here to me. I'll have Hokushin rally the troops."

She nodded and swept from the room. Pausing in the door-frame, she whispered, "Are you afraid that you will die this day?"

His toffee eyes appraised her carefully. "If I was afraid of dying, I'd have been dead long ago... Are you?"

"Never, my King," she murmured, and the small, sad smile that brushed her lips stated that she did not lie. He couldn't get her image from his mind.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke took a deep breath. He wasn't afraid; he had faced much worse odds than this before. Kurama and Hiei were at his side and Aurora was behind him, what was there to fear? He had three of the strongest demons in the Makai at his side, an army at his command and several other powerful demons he was fortunate to call friends at his back. Yusuke had decided to keep those three demons closest to him, the four of them would fight together, just like old times, only Kuwabara was replaced. Jin, Touya, Rinku, Chu, and Shishi were his acting generals; they were to lead sections of his army, one to each. Mukuro lead the army of the warriors she brought. It was difficult to say who was more excited between them.

Yusuke turned to his three companions, "We'll be the front line, followed by Mukuro, then by Touya and Jin, and so on. They know the order. It is only fair that we dive in first." They nodded; this had already been discussed. "Are we ready?"

"Yes."

"Of course."

"Indeed."

Yusuke nodded, a smile lighting his face, "Alright then." That old, familiar grin of determination lit his face as he said, "Let's do this."

_**And here we go!**_


	12. Chapter 12: A Time to Fight

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Twelve: _**A Time to Fight**_

_ Yusuke nodded, a smile lighting his face, "Alright then." That old, familiar grin of determination lit his face as he said, "Let's do this." _

Charging towards the enemy gave them all the warm-up they needed. Now all that was left was readiness. Yusuke had his pointer finger glowing at the ready, Hiei his Katana, Yoko Kurama his whip and Aurora her bow. They matched each other, step for step, creating a formidable line for any of those who ran at them. Excitement crackled in the air.

Hiei flitted off, leaving his afterimage everywhere at once. The unfortunate demons before him were never granted the opportunity to fight back or even glimpse their real killer. Various body parts fell to the ground, their owners dying with puzzled looks on their faces.

Kurama's whip was a green blur as he welded it with practiced ease and efficiency. Heads severed from their bodies were all that was left in his wake as he charged forward beside his companions.

Aurora flipped her bow sideways, the horizontal angle allowing her three arrows to eliminate three different targets at once. As three arrows twanged off their line, three more immediately took their place, before they too snapped forward.

Yusuke fired off his shotgun from both fists, the cocky grin never fleeting from his face. "What a joke this is," he laughed to Kurama without looking his way. In his eyes there danced a fire that would have sent smarter demons running. These before them however, were obviously just brutes; all muscle and no brain. One lowly demon managed to sidestep and duck the last two rains of Yusuke's bullets and now stood before the ex-Spirit Detective. "Spirit Gun!" And that was the end of that. The dark-haired toushin lord front flipped over the demon's falling body to keep time with the three on either side of him.

"Yusuke," Kurama called, "You and Aurora take the left. Hiei and I will go right." Yusuke nodded and missed Hiei's sharp look.

"What are you doing?" the fire demon hissed.

"The only thing that makes sense. Focus, Hiei." _I cannot harm Yusuke if I'm not even near him..._

"You should have had me go with him."

"You and I are better suited to fighting together. Aurora will watch over him."

They flitted to the right, coming to rest back-to-back with each other. "Let the games begin."

"Indeed."

Black and silver, vine and steel, together the two made a smear of color as they progressed through the onslaught of demons. It was a dance, perfectly choreographed by two fighters who knew the other's next move better than they knew their own. In order to preserve his energy, Kurama allowed his human form to flicker through. Hiei's Jagan flashed open and took on a sinister purple glow. Kurama's whip effortlessly slashed through anything it caught, Hiei's Katana efficiently slicing down any enemy.

:-:-:-:-:

"Come, child." Aurora called without so much as a glance to Yusuke. "Get behind me."

"No, thanks. I don't do that on the first date."

With a smirk, she shot him a look, "Back to back."

Yusuke laughed and dashed to her. Shoulder to shoulder, Yusuke was a bit taller. Both fighters excelled at ranged attacks so there wasn't an enemy close enough to even land a punch. Blue bullets flew to the right, red arrows to the left. "I saw your fight against Yomi in the Dark Tournament, Mazoku."

"Oh, really?"

"Indeed, I was quite impressed. You are certainly Raizen's son. Now, if you show that kind of power in this war, we'll have no difficulty succeeding."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence; you're not so bad yourself."

"I appreciate that, my lord. To your left."

Yusuke crossed his wrists, sending a spirit gun where she said. The yellow beast didn't even have time to blink. "Thanks."

"Certainly." Silence reined once again as the two fighters, new to each other, tried to find their niche. Aurora was more graceful and Yusuke was faster. Each recoil of bullets fired sent Yusuke into Aurora's back, each arrow tipped with ice made the temperature harder and harder to bare. Without words traded, they altered themselves to better meet the needs of the other. Yusuke fired smaller shots with less recoil. Aurora reined in her ice and allowed heat to seep back into the air. Yusuke slowed and concentrated more on his movements to try and better match hers. Aurora fitted herself more closely to him and began mimicking his movements forcing herself to quicken her pace.

Within an hour, they had it done to an art. Aurora had grown tired of her archery and switched to the jagged pillars of ice that erupted from the ground below her prey. Yusuke had taken to hand to hand combat, making sure not to allow any hits through to his partner. If he got at all overwhelmed or had one or two enemies too many, Aurora would eliminate a few them for him. "You know," Yusuke panted. "This is a great work-out and all, but where the hell are all the real fighters?"

Aurora smiled, "You have an incredible spirit, child. That is what I like most about you. I believe this is merely the first few waves. No doubt the stronger apparitions will be coming. There's also-" She cut herself short, and Yusuke noticed.

"Also what?"

"Their leader," she replied, though she paused a moment too long.

"Why the hesitation? He a friend of yours?"

"Hardly," she murmured with forced sarcasm.

"You're a lot like your brother," Yusuke changed tactics between punches.

"Indeed; we're twins."

"I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. I think you might even be a better lair than he is, but since I've learned how to see through him, I can see through you, too." Yusuke chanced a glance over his shoulder at her.

"Is that so, little ruler?" She smiled for his benefit.

"Yes."

"Prove it."

"I just did. You know the guy behind this."

"I don't deny that; he just isn't my friend."

"Back to the word play, are we?" Yusuke sighed, landing several more spirit charged punches.

"Always." Aurora laughed softly, the sound made Yusuke smile in response. "Yes, I know him. And yes, we were once friends. His name is Nikolai."

"Nikolai, huh?"

"Yes. He was... my first love," she gave a small rueful smile. "Now, child, I'll tell you one other thing of he and I, but you must promise not to allow it to distract you from your fighting."

"Alright, I'm listening."

"I bared a child for him," she finished evenly, void of any emotion.

"What? Why!" Yusuke kicked away the demon directly in front of him and fixed Aurora with a stare for as long as his enemies would allow.

"Focus, young ruler," she murmured without looking at him. She was silent for several minutes while she focused on her own fight. Since her elemental attacks could easily find her opponent without much guidance from her, she was truthfully just using this time to think. "I... I am not sure why I told you that."

"It's my charming, good looks, isn't it?" Yusuke tried some humor.

It actually worked. With a poorly concealed laugh, she said, "My, yes. What a gentleman you are."

"Don't you know it." He looked over at her again. "So," he asked, tone now soft, "what happened to the kid?"

"The child... died."

"Oh." _What do I say to that...?_ "I... uh... I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. There is no need." She sighed, delivering another killing strike. "I apologize for that. I am truly not sure why I told you that."

"It's okay. I'm a good listener."

She laughed softly again, "I've heard otherwise."

"Yeah, well..."

"I suppose... I just needed someone to understand. If I die during this, I needed someone to know." She turned to look him in the eyes, he did the same. "I'm not a monster. I'm not evil. I'm not heartless."

"I know." Yusuke stared at her. "You're beautiful."

Her eyes widened slightly, "What did you just say?"

"I- Oh! N-nothing." He scratched the back of his head.

"To your right."

He spun to his right, landing a solid punch to the demon's face. She turned, returning her attention to her own fight. "Thank you," she whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

:-:-:-:-:

"Kurama, why are these demons all so terribly weak? This is a waste of our time," Hiei growled.

"Well, I'm sure it is because they want to try and wear us down before they send out the heavier reinforcements," Kurama replied, slashing another demon to the ground.

"It's pathetic."

"Agreed." Kurama was growing bored, just as Hiei was, but he was quite certain this fighting would heat up eventually. "How are Yusuke and Aurora fairing?"

The Jagan lit more brightly for a moment. "Just fine. Are you proud of yourself?"

Kurama chuckled but didn't otherwise respond. His turned his attention back inwardly. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He couldn't continue to dwell on something that might not even be true. "Hiei?"

"Yes?" came the shorter demon's dry reply.

"In the vision... Who killed him?" Hiei faltered. Kurama noticed. "Was it me?" he whispered, suddenly terrified he no longer wanted this answer.

"I... I'm not sure."

Kurama started. "What do you mean?"

"I could only see the killer's back."

"And?"

"It was a silver fox. So either it was you or your sister."

Kurama swallowed. This answer had not made him feel even sightly better. "I see..."

"I have complete faith that it won't be you, Kurama." At the fox's marked silence, he continued, "After all we've been through with that boy, you _honestly_ think you'd kill him?" His tone spoke volumes as to how stupid he thought Kurama was acting right now.

"Well, no. I cannot think of anything off the top of my head that would cause me to kill him, Hiei, but we have all been through stranger situations before." He sighed heavily, "I can only hope the vision is incorrect."

"They seldom are."

"Those odds are better than absolution."

"Indeed."

Kurama flicked his whip again, matching Hiei's sword swings with an ease only time could achieve. Hiei hadn't bothered to call forth flame or the dragon. There might be opponents worthy later, but certainly not know. He had considered having Yusuke disintegrate them with a huge blast of his power, but even that would be a waste. And so, they resigned themselves to effortless fighting. Knowing that eventually, probably sooner rather than later, something much bigger and more dangerous would be arriving to challenge them.

:-:-:-:-:

After hours of fighting, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and Aurora fell back to take a break. Mukuro lead her warriors to the front line to take their place. As she passed them, she awarded Yusuke with a bright grin. There was no mistaking the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. "Save your energy for later; we'll take it from here, won't we boys?" The four fighters slipped backwards into the group of warriors, heading towards the fortress.

_**I struggled on this chapter, and I'm afraid it might be terrible. So please let me have your opinions and/or advice. Thank you!**_


	13. Chapter 13: Expressing Emotions

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Thirteen: _**Expressing Emotions**_

_After hours of fighting, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and Aurora fell back to take a break. Mukuro lead her warriors to the front line to take their place. As she passed them, she awarded Yusuke with a bright grin. There was no mistaking the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. "Save your energy for later; we'll take it from here, won't we boys?" The four fighters slipped backwards into the group of warriors, heading towards the fortress. _

"The four of us cannot fight the whole war, Yusuke. We all need to rest occasionally. That's why we went out of our way to build an army," Kurama reminded him gently as they made their way through the front doors of the fortress.

"I know," the young ruler replied. "I just feel kinda bad leaving others to do my job."

"Believe me, they don't mind. Every demon enjoys a good fight."

"Especially Mukuro," Hiei threw in.

Kurama smirked, "Yes, especially her." He slowed as they reached the dining area. "A meal first, then a few hours of sleep. We'll meet back here in four hours once we're finished eating."

"Aye, aye, captain," Yusuke joked with a mock salute. After a decent meal, they did all, in fact, split up to get a few hours of sleep.

:-:-:-:-:

In accordance to Kurama's previous orders, the four met up near the dining hall. Kurama and Aurora had changed their clothes, Hiei had the ward wrapped around the Jagan once again and Yusuke's hair was still damp from his quick shower. They looked quite ready for what lay ahead of them. Yusuke gave the other three one his winning smiles, his eyes lingering just a moment longer on one of them. However, if anyone noticed, no comment was made.

Mukuro was obviously having the time of her life. A bright grin lit her features as she struck down another opponent. Her warriors were easily holding their own, but it was also time for them to take a break. Their leaders were well aware that they all needed to be well rested for the remainder of this battle. Before they retreated behind the front lines, Hiei stopped Mukuro for a few short words as his companions stepped forward to take control of the fighting. "Are the more talented fighters here yet?"

The lady smiled, "'Fraid not. I won't go so far as to say I'm not enjoying the bloodbath, but it isn't much of a challenge; not even for the weaker of my warriors." Hiei 'hn'ed, and turned to take his part in the bloodshed. "Until later then, heir."

The fighting went much as it did before the four fighters had left for a rest. Most of the demons before them were stupid, spineless and weak. Yusuke joked that he was breaking new records for demons killed in one day. Now they were not paired off, instead they all separated a bit, but stayed near enough to each other in case someone needed any assistance. Yusuke was the first one to encounter a higher class demon. Kurama was certain it was because whoever was pulling the strings had instructed them to take down the strongest and the leader first.

This particular demon had managed to sidestep Hiei's blade, duck Kurama's whip and pounce past Aurora's arrows, landing deftly in front of the dark-haired youth he was looking for. The demon was a B-class, lizard-like, sword wielder. As Yusuke fought, he idly decided he was nearly as good as Hiei was with his katana. But it didn't really matter; one properly timed Spirit Gun blast and it would be over. 'Properly timed' being the key phrase. Yusuke raised his hand, making the trademark gun and fired. He missed. Or rather, the lizard with vomit-colored eyes bounded to the right just before the blast reached him. "Well, shit," Yusuke muttered, dodging another swing from the impressively sharp sword.

Yusuke realized he had made a mistake a moment too late. In dodging, he stumbled, the ground coming up in front of his eyes. "Fuck..." The demon was on him, his sword mere inches from him. Yusuke gazed at his soon-to-be killer. There was no escape now...

Then... something remarkable happened. Aurora jumped gracefully in front of the former detective. Yusuke was reminded absently of the very first time Kurama saved his life... against Hiei. The blade ripped through her, and Yusuke could see it protrude through her back. He winced. This was his fault... if he would have just _moved._.. But it didn't matter now.

She gasped sharply, pain making itself known at the forefront of her mind. But she had saved him, and that was all that mattered. Kurama glanced over at the two. His eyes widened. She had thrust herself in front of Yusuke. So he would live. He almost sighed in relief. Yusuke was alive. Her blood was a sharp contrast to the pale colors that made up her frame. Her light blue dress was torn where the blade had entered and was now soaking up the darker liquid. Her golden eyes were slightly narrowed in pain. Kurama was having trouble focusing on anything aside from that horrible crimson pooling on the ground at her feet.

"But... but why?" Yusuke whispered.

She formed a small dagger of ice in her hand. She flicked her wrist easily, flinging it at the demon holding onto the other end of the sword. She didn't miss. A deadly sliver of ice embedded in his forehead, he demon dropped backwards, dead. "Because," she murmured so quietly, he had to strain to hear her, "your life is... much more valuable than mine..." Her voice faltered slightly. Her breathing was slightly labored.

"But you... you said... you hated me."

"Not in so many words," she murmured, with a small, rueful smile. She gripped the sword firmly and, with a sharp tug, completely removed it. "However, demons are nothing if not deceitful... Now, get on your feet, young toushin, we still have a war to win."

Yusuke's eyes widened, "So... you don't hate me...?"

"No, child... I do not hate you..." She turned her head to meet his eyes. Sad, golden irises danced with tears as she extended the hand holding the sword. For the merest of moments, the walls surrounding her dissipated just enough so that Yusuke was given a brief glimpse inside them. There were many emotions he absolutely did not understand. There were several he knew well; fear, regret, agony. Though she was in pain, she quickly forced the walls back into place before she could be more betrayed by her own self.

"You don't have to hide," he told her in barest of whispers.

She shook her head. "Come now, on your feet."

He stood but didn't take his eyes off of her. "Can you still fight? Maybe you should-"

"I'm fine," she told him forcefully. He nodded, grasping the sword she was handed to him.

Kurama appeared at his sister's side. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," Aurora gave him a gentle smile. "Now, brother, I need your assistance for a moment." Kurama nodded. "Listen carefully. I need you to assist me in filling the hole of the wound." She paused, taking as deep a breath as she was able. She was forming a long rod of ice in one hand. "When this is completed, I need you to carefully insert it through. I am unable to do so myself, as my hands are trembling too much. Can you do this?"

If Kurama was at all uneasy of performing this task, he didn't show it. With a nod, he took the icicle from her hand. "Are you ready?" he asked with genuine concern.

She gave him a weak smile, "As ready as I'll ever be. Please be quick about it."

He nodded and proceeded with the precision of a surgeon. "Hold completely still." She nodded and braced herself. Carefully, he worked it through the sword wound. She had crafted the icicle to fit just a little loosely so he could get it through easier. She would thicken the ice to fill the whole completely as soon as it was in place.

She held her breath to avoid gasping. Kurama used one hand for the job, the other to help steady her with. In what was in reality just over a minute, though felt much longer, the rod of ice was in place. Kurama pulled her into an embrace to hold her up while she finished up by molding the ice to entirely stop the bleeding.

"Neat trick," Yusuke muttered weakly. If he hadn't seen so many gross things in his life, that might have made him sick.

"It stills the bleeding," Aurora murmured with a smile. "It also allows me to continue fighting while it heals."

Yusuke nodded. "For the record, I'd rather you two didn't do that to me."

They chuckled, and the three of them returned to the heat of the battle. "I'm going to Hiei," Kurama yelled as he ran off to his fighting partner.

"Guess that just leaves you and me."

"You and I," she corrected with a smirk. "Indeed, just us."

:-:-:-:-:

"How's the wound?"

"Nearly healed."

"Well, that's good."

"Yes." Aurora removed her gaze from the rows of approaching demons for a moment to look at Yusuke. She didn't miss the fond look in his chocolate eyes before he hid it. Hours had passed, long, uneventful hours. Dawn was maybe an hour away, judging on how long ago the second sun had set. Mukuro had insisted she and her warriors take the front line at dawn. Yusuke had not put up so much as an argument because he didn't like the idea of Aurora fighting while wounded, especially when it was his own fault. Mentally berating himself over and over for the past several hours, he had gone out of his way to kill as many demons as he could, whether or not they were even attacking him. Several of Aurora's arrows had been wasted because of this, but she didn't seem to care all that much.

Yusuke knew that regardless of what she told him, or how many times she reassured him, she was pain and needed a break. So he arranged with Mukuro for that break to come at sunrise, now only an hour or so off. Hiei kept up almost constant communication in Yusuke's mind. The latest of which stating simply, _Fuck, this is boring._ Which the ex-detective couldn't help but chuckle at. He knew better than anyone that Hiei was enjoying himself. Regardless of how effortless this fighting was, Hiei, like Mukuro, would never pass up an opportunity to flex his skills in battle. Plus, this was helping Yusuke, and whether he'd outright admit it or not, he had always had a soft spot for helping the half-human.

Mukuro was early. Yusuke wasn't surprised, but he also intended to keep up their end of the deal. And so, Mukuro fought side-by-side with the King, Kurama, Hiei and Aurora for the remainder of the time before the sun made its appearance. Strangely, the female ruler of Alaric seemed to have taken an interest in the group's newest member. "I always thought I remembered something about that damn fox having a sibling."

Aurora smirked at that. It seemed they had a similar sense of humor. Which Hiei absolutely detested because it was this same dark humor that made Mukuro and himself so compatible. Kurama's eyes danced the moment he figured out why Hiei was suddenly so irritable and the knowing smile quirked his lips. That very smile seemed even more fitting on his youko form than it had on the red-head.

_Don't even start with me, you damned fox. _Hiei growled mentally with out looking over to the fox in which he spoke. This, of course, only entertained Kurama more thoroughly, however, he didn't speak on it; he'd wait until they were back at the fortress.

"Alright, we can take it from here," Mukuro stated with some finality.

Yusuke nodded, finishing off the demon in front of him. "Fall back, soldiers," he called with a laugh.

Kurama rolled his eyes playfully and Hiei gave his usual response, "Hn." But the three followed their leader without complaint or argument. The trek back didn't take more than several minutes. Hiei and Kurama were quick to separate to their respective rooms, leaving Yusuke and Aurora walking slowly toward the dining hall. However, they continued walking past the entrance. In a few more moments, Yusuke found them coming to a stop not far from his bedroom door. Aurora's eyes were thoughtful, but it was Yusuke who spoke first. "Can we talk for a few minutes?"

Seeming a bit startled, Aurora nodded and followed Yusuke into his room. "What is it?"

"I... wanted to thank you for saving my ass today." He sighed, scratching the back of his head rather absently, "I'm fairly sure I would have died if it weren't for you."

She shook her head, "Do not doubt yourself so thoroughly, lord. I merely made a snap decision that it would be better for all of us if it was I, not you, who was injured."

"That's not how I feel," Yusuke argued gently. "You're equally as important as I am."

"You're mistaken."

He stepped so that he was directly in front of her. "Don't argue with your king," he murmured quietly, for a moment forgetting how close to her he was.

She allowed his closeness and replied, "I beg pardon, my king." Her voice was hushed and laced with something Yusuke was finding he liked very much.

Yusuke couldn't stop himself; he was captivated. He gazed into her eyes. Golden irises held his, and she did not back away from him. He stepped forward to her, slowly reaching out to hold her. He could smell her now; it was a scent like nothing he had ever experienced before. Like mint and pine trees, coffee and winter. He couldn't get enough, it was more intoxicating than anything he'd ever been exposed to. "Can I...?"

"Don't ask," she breathed with a fragile smile he'd never seen before.

He lowered his lips to meet hers. She didn't pull away; she allowed him to do whatever he wanted to. Maybe it was because he was a King, maybe it was because she felt the same, maybe it was because she was just allowing him to experiment. At that moment, he found he couldn't care. He gently pushed his tongue against her lips. She allowed him entry. He couldn't breathe anymore. She tasted _amazing_. Like cinnamon and spearmint, honey and snow. He couldn't get enough. He was feeling drunk just from the kiss and when he pulled away, he was sure the room was swirling around them. She gave him a slightly firmer smile.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. She kissed him gently and briefly, murmuring her thanks. He pulled her closer, wanting to memorize the feel and shape of her body. Again, she allowed him with no resistance. "Are you afraid?"

"Never, my lord."

"Me neither."

"You have no reason to be."

"Get your _fucking claws off of him!_"

Yusuke whirled. Hiei stood in the doorway. "Fuck." A blush spread over his face. "Hiei, let me explain-"

"There is no need. Get away from him, you filthy _whore_."

The smile never left her face as she gazed at Hiei. "Of course," she gave him a small bow as she spoke. "I do apologize."

"Don't apologize," Yusuke stated calmly, continuing to watch Hiei. "Hiei, this isn't what you think. I kissed _her_. Not the other way around."

"Don't be a fool, Detective," Hiei snapped.

"What are you talking about? _I_ kissed _her!_"

"Oh, and I suppose you think that wasn't playing right into her clutches."

"Jaganshi-"

"Don't you dare speak to me. Get away from the Detective before I change my mind about killing you," Hiei snapped, taking a few steps protectively towards Yusuke.

"Very well," Aurora replied almost conversationally before turning to Yusuke. "I apologize. This will not happen again."

"The fuck it will," Hiei agreed with heat.

Kurama knew from the first moment he felt Hiei's temper rise that it was most likely his twin that had provoked it. What he didn't know was why. He intended to find out, however, and as Aurora swept from the room, Kurama took his opportunity. "What is going on?" he asked carefully.

She gave him a carefully blank glance without slowing her steady pace and putting distance between herself and that room. "Nothing, Kurama."

Calling him Kurama was his first clue, that raging anger searing through his link with Hiei was the second. "You cannot lie to me," he stated with more calm than he felt inside as he began walking.

"Perhaps not, but that doesn't make this your concern."

"I don't care."

"That makes two of us."

Resisting an eye-roll, he decided to change tactics. "Hiei will tell me, you know." He was walking right beside her now, as it was clear she had no intention of stopping.

"I'm aware."

"Come, sister," he pressed.

She stopped so suddenly, Kurama nearly stumbled as he stopped alongside her. "The young ruler stole a kiss. I did nothing to stop him. It was a momentary lapse in judgment that I do not intend to repeat."

"Yusuke kissed you?" The fox looked almost incredulously at his mirror image.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation and picked up walking once more. "I apologize. This has greatly angered your fire friend." She smirked, "Though I'm not apologizing for upsetting him."

Kurama wasn't sure whether to be irritated or amused. "What were you thinking?" He settled somewhere in between both. "It is unwise to lead Yusuke on in such a way."

"I don't believe I ever stated I had been 'leading him on'."

"What are you saying?" Kurama demanded as his footsteps slowed.

"I'm saying the feelings involved in that... brief meeting may be mutual."

Kurama came to a complete stop, suddenly at a loss for words. Then, "You love him?" he whispered.

She whirled, "I did not say that. If you would desist putting words in my mouth-"

"Does he love you?"

"Did you hit your head in battle today, brother? Demons do not love; demons fuck each other when there is power involved. And I'm sure you've noticed that the young half-demon has it in spades."

Kurama stayed rooted to the spot as Aurora quickly continued away, his thoughts swirling. The only coherent thought he could manage was, _well, at least now I know why Hiei is so angry..._

_**I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about Aurora. I have heard the term 'Mary Sue' used to describe author-added female character, and I promise that isn't what she is. It's just quite difficult to write a chapter story without adding a couple OCs. Let me know if the current plot twist is too much or grounds to discontinue reading. I really hope not, because I am enjoying writing this! As always, don't hesitate to leave opinions or suggestions. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed! It means so much to me! :) **_


	14. Chapter 14: When Love is Relative

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Fourteen: _**When Love is Relative**_

_"Did you hit your head in battle today, brother? Demons do not love; demons fuck each other when there is power involved. And I'm sure you've noticed that the young half-demon has it in spades."_

_ Kurama stayed rooted to the spot as Aurora quickly continued away, his thoughts swirling. The only coherent thought he could manage was, well, at least now I know why Hiei is so angry..._

"Yoko!" came a scorchingly angry yell from up the hall.

"Here we go..." Kurama muttered. "Yes, Hiei?" he called.

"We need to talk!"

"Oh, I'm sure," Kurama sighed, walking towards the angry fire demon's voice.

"Your _sister_ was attempting to seduce the Detective," Hiei spat.

"I do not believe that was her intention, nor do I believe she was the sole partaker in this," Kurama murmured, tone very carefully neutral. "Furthermore, anything I say to you is not going to make much of a difference. I suggest you allow this matter to drop, even with as much as it bothers you. I highly doubt she will allow something like it to happen again."

Hiei stared at Kurama. Vaguely, and the more he thought about it, he knew the fox was right. He was just so... _angry._ Taking a deep breath, he nodded faintly and stalked away down the hall toward the front doors. He needed to kill something. Good thing there was a war outside. Easily, he found Mukuro and he took his rightful place fighting beside her.

After Hiei was out of sight, Kurama decided he needed to talk to Yusuke himself. The boy's bedroom door was still ajar, but the kitsune rapped his knuckles against it twice anyway. "What?" came the slightly irritable sounding call from inside.

"Yusuke, it's Kurama. May I come in?"

"Kurama? Oh, yeah. Of course, come in," and just like that, the sharpness in his tone had evaporated. Kurama decided that that was good; it meant Yusuke wasn't mad at _him, _probably only at Hiei.

Pushing the door lightly, just far enough for him to slip through, Kurama entered the room. Carefully meeting toffee brown eyes searchingly, he said, "Would you like to talk?"

Those very same eyes he had been watching, flashed for a moment with an emotion the intelligent fox couldn't quite place. "So you know I kissed Aurora?"

Kurama gave the dark-haired man before him a reassuring smile. "Yes, I do. And I'm not here to yell or scold."

Yusuke sighed and his eyes relaxed, almost invisible walls came down a bit, revealing some of his emotions. "That's good. Hiei is pissed enough to make up for everyone." His tone was slightly frustrated again, but Yusuke was quite calm overall.

"I know. I shared a few short words with him just a moment ago." Kurama moved to a chair that sat beside the large open window, sitting with grace Yusuke swore only foxes possessed. "Why did you do it?"

"Kiss her?" Kurama nodded in reply. "Because... Gods, fox-boy, she's beautiful. Do I need much more of a reason than that? Maybe it was because she saved my ass a few hours ago. I... am... attracted to her." Yusuke fell silent for a moment before he remembered something, "Do you remember the day I asked you about why demons suddenly made me... you know."

"Why you were no longer sexually attracted to Keiko; only to other demons?"

"Yeah," a faint blush had tainted the ex-detective's face.

"Yes, I recall that conversation."

"That's what it's like. I can... _feel_ the fact that she's strong, that she has a lot of power. And I..."

"You want it. Want to be near it. Want to be with her because of it."

The blush deepened, "Yeah." Kurama nodded, calm gaze falling outside the window. Yusuke was absolutely stunned to realize that the kitsune wasn't angry, wasn't even irritated. "I'm sorry," he whispered anyway.

This caused Kurama's head to turn swiftly back in Yusuke's direction. "What are you apologizing for?"

"What I did."

Kurama laughed. It wasn't a cold, forced laugh; it was a genuine show of amusement. "You're allowed to be attracted to other demons, Yusuke. I'm not angry with you. Quite the opposite, really."

"So you're... _happy_ with me?" Yusuke asked, nearly incredulous.

Kurama laughed heartedly again. "Yusuke, she and I are twins." Yusuke gave him a look that clearly stated he still didn't follow. "You told me you find her attractive. And she and I look more similar than we do different. Hence, that was just as much a compliment to me as it was to her." Yusuke understood now, though his gaze was still wide-eyed. Kurama, just for good measure, batted his long eyelashes and cooed, "You think I'm beautiful."

Yusuke blanched. Kurama nearly fell off the chair, laughing in earnest. "Jerk." Yusuke muttered as a grin broke over his face.

:-:-:-:-:

The days that followed fell into a relatively easy pattern. The groups of warriors took different shifts so that the fortress was never unprotected and everyone was able to take frequent rests. Yusuke and his three companions typically chose the night shift. Mukuro normally preferred the shift that began at dawn. And so, on it went. There was, however, something almost tangible that crept into the air, slowly, day by day. Hiei finally took in upon himself to have a talk he felt was much over-due. He wasn't exactly sure what he needed to say, but he knew he needed to say something.

Hiei found the one who he had been looking for gazing out over the land, eyes glittering, expression taunt. This was the first night in several that they hadn't taken a fighting shift. It was suddenly quite clear why they chose that shift. If they weren't fighting, the darkness seemed almost too overwhelming to bare. "Can you feel it?" she whispered, long after he had stopped nearby. He wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or not.

"What would that be?"

Slowly, golden eyes flickered to meet crimson ones. "There's something out there. Something sinister." She fell silent once more, turning back to the dark horizon line.

Hiei pondered this comment for a moment, debating whether or not to make a snide comment. This was a war, of course there are sinister things lurking out there. Finally deciding he wanted to hear what she thought was so evil it was worth mentioning, he said, "Like what?"

"Hmm?" Aurora seemed oddly distracted and didn't look at him.

"What should I be feeling? What sinister thing were you speaking of?"

She heaved a sigh, thinking. "The king is going to die." Her tone could have been mistaken as a question.

Hiei's eyes snapped to look at her, "What?" he asked sharply.

She raised an eyebrow, "You saw this, did you not?"

Hiei calmed a bit at that statement. Yes, he had seen it. So maybe it had just been a question. He turned his thoughts back to why he was here. If he didn't loathe the thought so thoroughly, he might have decided he owed her an apology. Well, that wasn't completely true. He _knew_ he owed her an apology. He just couldn't bare to consider actually doing it. Trying to conclude what he should say instead, he studied her.

Tonight, she was wearing a frosty, light green dress. It was shorter in the front and ran long behind her, much like a wedding dress train. Her long silver hair was tied up in an elaborate bun high on her neck. Around her slender throat was a necklace made of white stones, fanning over her delicate-looking collar bone. Something about it struck a cord somewhere in the fire demon's mind. He felt for some reason he should recognize it.

"Where did you get that?" he blurted before he even considered it. _Foolish_.

She seemed genuinely unsure what he was taking about and murmured, "May I inquire what you are speaking of?"

Hiei gave it one second-thought before he nodded towards her neck, "That necklace."

"Oh."

He waited. When it was quite apparent she wasn't going to speak any further, he prodded, "That isn't an answer."

"I know that. Did you honestly want one?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

She chuckled softly. "You realize I won't warn you again about the tender ground you are treading on now." Lifting one hand, she eased the clasp, allowing it to fall into her other awaiting hand. Hiei watched it carefully as it dangled in his line of vision. His perfect memory was suddenly not. Sparks, though faint, scattered everywhere in his mind. He was absolutely certain he had seen it before. But _where_? "Do you recognize it now, Fire Child?"

He shook his head, everything else was momentarily forgotten as he fumbled to find the memory he so desperately sought. Another voice whispered through the dark, "That, Hiei, was thieved by an old partner of mine."

Aurora's pale caramel irises narrowed briefly as they met their twin's. The look evaporated instantly, almost as though she had been expecting someone else. She remained silent as a reminiscent smile tilted her lips. Finally, it clicked; Hiei remembered now. "Kuronue," he murmured.

At the mention of the name, Yoko smiled similarly to his sister's, eyes suddenly far away, in a place of long ago. "It was one of the few things he stole with no intention of keeping for himself or selling. He knew someone who would love to have it. He wanted to show her... how he felt." Two pairs of golden eyes glistened with something which looked alarmingly like unshed tears to Hiei. Vaguely, he realized why the memory had escaped him so thoroughly before Kurama said it. It wasn't his own memory; it was one he only knew was there because he and Kurama were linked.

The moment stretched out, silence reining between them. Hiei missed the first few tears, but a sharp intake of breath caused him to look up. Yoko moved without a sound to embrace his sister. It was she who was crying. "It's my fault," she whispered into her brother's shoulder as more tears fell. "All my fault."

"Hush now," Kurama replied, with equal quiet and careful gentleness. "You know that isn't true."

"He has Kuronue's eyes, brother. For a moment, I..."

"Shh, it's alright."

Hiei suddenly caught the meaning of her words. "Yusuke?" he demanded. "Is that why you tried to sink your teeth into him? Because he reminds you of a dead man?" He regretted the sharpness of his words at the look Kurama gave him.

Aurora wasn't angry, however. She nodded to Hiei. "Yes. Sometimes, if I focus on only his eyes and the tone of his voice, I can almost see..." Her went glassy for a moment, "Sometimes, I forget for a moment." Tears continued to fall, unhindered. Coming back to herself, she met his hard crimson gaze unflinching and whispered, "I loved him, Hiei."

Hiei, for once, truly had nothing to say to that. He could see the truth in her eyes, hear it in her voice, feel it in her aura. Kurama watched him carefully, intending to cut off any rude remark that might be coming. None did. In that short moment in time, Hiei had witnessed something he was quite sure the female fox he had taken such a disliking to, would have preferred he hadn't seen. But it had been real. The first sign of any emotion of any kind from her. Though he'd rather die than admit it, he suddenly felt _almost_ guilty for the things he'd said about her to Kurama and the way he'd acted toward her. Almost.

The necklace was clenched in one hand, the shoulder of Kurama's tunic fisted in the other. The white beads glittered in the moon light, sparkling gently. It caused a memory to be kicked up in front of their eyes for a moment, Kurama and Aurora remembering firsthand, Hiei through their link.

_Yoko Kurama smirked at his partner as he was asked, "You think she'll like it?" _

_ The fox nodded, "I've no doubt. Most particularly because it's from you."_

_ Chocolate eyes danced with excitement as their owner tucked the treasure away in a hidden pocket. "I'm going to give it to her tonight." _

_ "Are you going to ask her, as well?" _

_ A nod, "That's why I got this. I thought it might..."_

_ "Go nicely with the bite mark?"_

_ Kuronue laughed. (_Hiei nearly gasped out loud when he heard it... Yusuke really did sound like him.) _"Don't be that way, Yoko. You know I... You know how I feel about her."_

_ "Yes, I do. Tonight, we'll get to see if she feels the same way." Though it had been meant as a joke, it seemed to sober the dark-haired demon. _

_ Upon returning to their camp, where Aurora had made a small campfire and dinner, Kuronue moved towards the beautiful fox who had her back turned to him. She was standing several yards from the fire. "You look stunning this evening, Rora." _

_ She didn't turn, but he knew she was smiling gently. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and kissed her cheek. "Don't toy with me, Kuronue."_

_ "Never," he breathed in her ear. He was delighted at the shiver this earned him. _

_ She turned, eyes bright. He had been right about her smiling; she was. "Where's Yoko?"_

_ "Busy. I gave him something to do. I wanted some private time with my favorite lady." In reality, unnoticed to the two, the wily fox watched from the line of trees behind them._

_ "Oh?" her tone was laughing._

_ He answered by tilting his head down, his lips meeting hers. As he broke away, he rested his hand against the side of her face, thumb gently stroking the top of her ear, fingers becoming lost in her hair. "I have to ask something, Aurora."_

_ "I'm listening," she replied, slightly breathless._

_ "I love you... Mate with me?" Instead of speaking, she smiled and kissed him. This one was more passionate than the one they'd shared just moments ago as she threw her emotions into it. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," Kuronue murmured huskily when they finally broke apart. She nodded at him. "Tonight, then?" Another nod. This one earned a stunning smile from him as he pulled out the necklace he and Yoko had spent several months working to find and get their hands on. He looked thoroughly pleased at her expression and the soft gasp she gave as her eyes fell upon it. As he gently put it around her neck and closed the clasp, he whispered, "For you, my snow angel."_

Kurama had his face turned away and Aurora was crying in earnest now. In the pale moonlight, Hiei could see what he had never paid any attention to before. With her hair pulled up, he could just make out in the moonlight the ghostly scar of a bite mark on her neck. "You were mated to him?" Hiei asked softly. Kurama nodded without looking. Aurora seemed to be still caught somewhere in a memory. Hiei doubted she had even really heard him. "Oh," he whispered so quietly, he believe he may not have even spoken aloud. He felt like an intruder now. He didn't want to see anymore... It wasn't his business. He had almost succeeded in slipping away when a voice called to him.

"Do you see now, Hiei?" she cried. "I _loved _him!" Her sobs had stopped, but he wasn't sure if the tears had yet. With speed he hadn't previously given her credit for, she moved to stand directly in front of him. "Do you know what that's like?" she hissed. "To see the man you loved so dearly so completely embodied in another." She raised her hand, almost as if she was going to strike him, but it froze in mid-air. Before it could move again, she breathed, "I'm not the evil, vile creature you take me to be." And with that, she whirled and disappeared into the shadows.

Hiei stared at Kurama, unsure of what to say. "I daresay you deserved that, Hiei," the kitsune said softly. "However, it was still rather unfair of her. You did not know before what you know now." He sighed, finally meeting Hiei's eyes. There were, indeed, tear tracks running down his pale face. "I think she might love Yusuke."

Hiei muttered, "Demon love is a rare thing."

Kurama nodded, but gave him a dark smirk, "And you wouldn't recognize it if it bit you."

Hiei shrugged; he supposed that _maybe_ Kurama was right, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell the damn fox that.

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke stared out the window, focusing hard on his link with Hiei. A swirl of emotions were fighting the weak control he had of them. He didn't want Hiei to feel the storm pressing against him. Lowering his eyes and moving to his bed, he did his best to block the link in his mind before he allowed the emotions to come forth.

_"Because he reminds you of a dead man?" "Yes."_ Yusuke felt like an idiot. No, something worse than that. After seeing that memory, and having a strong feeling of what had happened not too long after it, made him feel... sick. Like he had just lost something very important. "_I loved him!"_

"I'm so fucking _stupid_," he hissed at no one. "Goddammit!" Resting his head in his hands, he closed his eyes and allowed the emotions to take him over.

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei could feel... something. It was muffled, almost impossible to decipher. Thoughts...? No. Emotions...? Maybe. No, not maybe; definitely. But who's? He glanced at Kurama walking beside him. Yusuke's, he decided. "Fox?" Kurama looked at him. "Where is the Detective?"

"In his room, last I saw him. Why?"

"I..." Hiei paused, trying to understand what he could only barely feel. Slowly, concentrating hard, he pieced it together. Then- _Oh._ "Kurama, I think... I think he saw the conversation that occurred moments ago."

The kitsune stopped walking, growing pale. "That may not be good."

"No," the fire demon agreed, also stopping. "Should we go talk to him?"

Kurama was quiet for a moment while he thought about that. Finally, he decided, "I think it might be best if I went alone." Hiei nodded. That was fine with him. Kurama parted ways with Hiei as he quickly moved down the hall to the toushin's room. He knocked upon approaching it. "Yusuke?" he called. There was no answer. "Yusuke?" he called louder.

Silence for a moment, then, "Go away."

"Yusuke, please, can I come in."

"No."

Kurama decided he was going to get out his lock picking tools shortly if Yusuke remained difficult. "Please." After a pause long enough to make Kurama begin pulling out his tools, he heard the lock on the other side of the door click. Soft footsteps moved back to the bed. Kurama thought maybe Yusuke had realized his entry was inevitable so he gave in. Steeling his resolve, the fox opened the thick wooden door.

"Yusuke," Kurama began quietly, watching the young man laying on the bed. "I don't think you understand what you just saw."

"Do I remind _you_ of that guy, too?" Yusuke demanded suddenly.

Kurama seemed to think carefully about this. "In some ways, yes," he answered slowly. It seemed for a time that Kurama was not going to continue. After a long thought-filled silence, he said, "There is something you need to understand about yourself, Yusuke. Something you have always been apparently blind to. Hiei once told me in a way that perfectly sums it up. You are someone that rules break around. You made Hiei rethink everything he had ever thought about trust, made myself realize what it means to be human, made Kuwabara discover what a true friend should be, made Keiko understand that there are many different kinds of love, made Koenma learn the true definition of selflessness. You made us all see what loyalty and determination should really look like.

"People are... different when they're around you. Aurora is not an exception. You would do well to remember that she has never spent time with any human before now. She is a demon. You remember how Hiei acted when you first met him, and even sometimes now? It is because Makai is not like Ningenkai. Don't fool yourself, Yusuke. In order to admit she has anything but hostile feelings for you, she must have something to blame it on... Now, with that said, yes, in some ways, most of them good, you remind both Aurora and I of someone who was quite dear to us."

Kurama turned to leave Yusuke alone for a while, knowing he had gotten his point across. He paused momentarily in the door way, not looking back as he said, "That should not be taken as an insult either, Yusuke. In fact, that is probably the highest honor anyone alive now could receive from either of us." Yusuke watched him leave, thoughts swirling around him. Most of them weren't terrible thoughts, either.

:-:-:-:-:

When Kurama had gone to speak with Yusuke, Hiei returned outside. He stood in silence, watching what he could see of the battle a few miles from the fortress. He was soon distracted, however, by the suddenly frigid wind. It was rare for the Makai to experience such weather at this time of year. It was only October, after all. He was more interested in what started several minutes later. A flurry of snow began dumping down to the ground.

The frozen air smelled of sorrow. Hiei suddenly wasn't so surprised at all by the unseasonal weather. _A mourning snow angel..._


	15. Chapter 15: Something Worth Fighting For

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Fifteen: _**Something Worth Fighting For**_

_ The frozen air smelled of sorrow. Hiei suddenly wasn't so surprised at all by the unseasonal weather. A mourning snow angel..._

Kurama stepped outside, where he knew Hiei was. The snow didn't surprise him, in fact, he should have known earlier that it was coming. As he stopped to stand beside his best friend, he sighed, "No sign of her then?"

"You mean, other than the feet of snow falling? No." Hiei glanced over at Kurama. "You know, I think I like you best as a red-head."

Kurama smirked. "I'm sorry my current hair color is a source of discontentment," he told him dryly.

"How is the Detective?"

Kurama gave a slight shrug, "Better now that I've spoken with him, I believe." His eyes scanned over the fighting in the distance. "They're still fairing well, I trust?"

Hiei's sharp crimson eyes followed the line of Kurama's steely golden ones. "Yes. Mukuro's shift is next."

It went unspoken that a day in the not so far-away future, there would be danger, fear and possibly death for them all. It went unspoken that soon, no one could be sure when, Yusuke would put forth his life once again to try and protect them. It went unsaid that when he did this, they would each counter-act it as best they could. He was someone that rules were broken for, someone that people gave their lives for, someone that was worth trying to save, whether he realized it or not. As Kurama had told him moments ago, Yusuke Urameshi changed people. He gave them someone to believe in. And everyone needed something to believe in, even demons. Or maybe, _especially _demons.

"Several of the generals believe these weakling demons are merely a diversion."

"Wouldn't they have acted on that diversion by now if that were true?"

"It's difficult to say. However, I believe it would do well to be on our guard. Something bigger is coming, of that, I have no doubt. Aurora has stated there is one mastermind behind this. Obviously, this weakling show is not a battle-plan to be proud of."

Hiei raised a black eyebrow a fraction, looking sidelong at Kurama, "And where does she fit into all this, Fox?"

The kitsune continued to gaze out over the dark land. "What are you referring to, precisely?"

"Don't play dense with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He sighed, "Yes." Pausing, flexing slightly cold-numbed fingers, he considered his word choice carefully. "I believe she is working as a double-agent, as it were."

"A spy?"

"Perhaps. Her loyalty is under Yusuke, however, for I believe, with no doubt, Yusuke would have had an attempt made on his life already if that were not the case." Kurama frowned, "If you absolutely cannot trust her, Hiei, will you place some faith in me?"

"Hn," Although he wasn't whole-heartedly happy about it, that meant 'yes'.

Silence fell once more, each content to simply be in each other's company. The easy comradeship they shared, and Yusuke too, was something each valued highly and enjoyed when they could. Kurama liked best these quiet moments. When nothing need be said, and nothing else mattered at that moment. Friendship that couldn't be replaced. Something he thought in complete certainty he had lost the day Kuronue had died. It was also something he intended not to lose again.

Time seemed to slip past them unnoticed, and neither was really sure how much time had really past before a soft voice stirred their attention. "They're coming."

Kurama found the source of the voice first. "Aurora? Who is coming?"

"The stronger demons that were sent solely to kill Tourin's Lord." Kurama paled slightly and Hiei's hand found the hilt of his sword. "We need to warn him," she continued when neither man spoke. "These are the demons actually capable of doing what they were sent to do; I could feel their energy from the border. They'll be here by dawn, perhaps before."

The kitsure and the jaganshi shared a look for one moment, their eyes meeting in an understanding of what she was implying. They had meant to catch them off-guard. Dawn was typically the time the four of them returned to the fortress for sleep. If it was not for some fluke that they had not had the shift tonight, their enemies would have succeeded. That they needed to be much more cautious than this, was the last unspoken agreement shared between them before they nodded and turned with Aurora to return inside Yusuke's fortress. They needed to find him quickly and ensure everyone was prepared.

Upon entering the massive doors, the three separated, each with a different purpose. Kurama would find Yusuke, Hiei would find Mukuro and Aurora would find Hokushin. Kurama reached the younger half-demon's room in record time. As he knocked louder than he usually did, he spared a passing hope that Yusuke was both awake and in the room. No answer came in response to his knocking. "Yusuke!" Nothing. "Yusuke, I'm coming in," Kurama called, turning the door knob.

:-:-:-:-:

Even without a link with Mukuro, Hiei could almost always locate her with ease. He never thought on the why or how so much. Maybe it was because there was something between them Hiei had never had with anyone else, not even Kurama. He didn't like to think about it too much. "Mukuro?" He asked as he entered the dinning hall. She was readying herself and her fighters as it was approaching dawn.

"Yes, Hiei?" she asked, looking up.

"There is trouble. Several strong demons were sighted near the border not long ago. They're presumed to have come for Yusuke, to kill him. We need everyone to be ready. This is the fight we've been waiting for," he informed her briskly.

Mukuro's eyes lit up a bit. "This is the fight that may be difficult? With high stakes? Challenging?" Hiei gave a nod at each. She grinned. "Excellent, count me in."

"Can you and your men be on the front lines in 20 minutes?"

"Yes."

Her heir nodded and turned to leave. _Hiei. _It was Kurama.

_Do you have Yusuke?_

_ No. _A pause. _I can't seem to locate him. Can you-?_

_ Use the Jagan, got it. I'll let you know when I have him._

:-:-:-:-:

Aurora approached the Lord's favorite advisor with all the regal air she possessed. She was not fool enough not to notice the way everyone here looked at her. At times, she even caught Kurama receive those same looks. Keeping the dark smirk hidden with precise care, she called out to Hokushin. Tuning, he appraised her with his eyes. If anything, he seemed to trust her a bit more than the majority of Yusuke's other employees. Informing him of the current situation, she kept her tone neutral and void of any kind of emotion. This skill was something both her and her brother had mastered very long ago. She knew from the way everyone around acted in front of Yoko that he was better at it than she was. No matter.

Hokushin, thankfully, took in her words without question. Excusing himself swiftly, he left her to prepare. He would see to it that all of Yusuke's best soldiers who could fight would be rallied on the front lines to fight alongside them. It was truly time to see what the greatest demons in Makai were made of.

:-:-:-:-:

_Yusuke._

_ Don't, Hiei. I'm doing this alone._

_ Like hell you are._

_ Like hell I _am_. No one, especially not the three of you, are going to die for me today. It's me they want. And it's me they'll get. _

_ Stop talking foolish. You aren't seriously going to just hand yourself over to them?_ Hiei did his absolute best to ensure Yusuke heard, loud and clear, the contempt and disapproval in his voice.

_Not without a good fight. But it will be a fight _alone. _Don't even try to stop me. I've made up my mind. I appreciate everything you and Kurama and everyone else has done for me, really I do. So if I die today, make sure you tell everyone that. And... tell Aurora that I don't mind her loving me because of that Kuronue guy. It's alright. Goodbye, Hiei._

_ Yusuke, don't be a-!_ Suddenly, the link the was cut. "Fuck me!" Hiei raged aloud as he swept towards the fortress's front entrance. _Kurama! Get your sister and follow me! The Detective is trying to get himself killed._

_ Understood. _As Kurama usually was in situations like this, his reply was calm and curt. Hiei knew that Yusuke would soon be disappointed. The fox and himself especially would not allow this to go the way their friend wanted it to.

Aurora and Kurama had always had a strange ability to be able to detect the other's emotions if they were strong enough. Twin intuition, or something, Kurama had heard it been called before. Regardless, not long after they had realized this could work in their favor, almost as good as Hiei's telepathy, they began practicing how to amplify their emotions to one another when the situation called for it. Kurama concentrated hard on this now. It had been a rather long time since the last time he had had to use this technique.

He was floored to learn it still worked. Without having to try to find her energy signature or her his, he found her waiting, somewhat impatiently by the front doors, holding one ajar. "Yusuke's gone," Kurama called to her, a bit breathless.

She paled minutely but nodded. This was no time to worry. After all, how far could he possibly have gotten? Besides that, he had three of the fastest demons alive after him. None of them were too worried about reaching him in time. Yusuke would be, undoubtedly, able to hold his own until they reached him. As they ran after what Kurama could still feel of Hiei's fiery energy trail, Aurora, not even glancing at him, asked without humor, "Does he take us as fools?"

"No," Kurama replied, running just a few steps ahead of Aurora, leading her. "He doesn't want us to be harmed because of him."

"Surely, he is aware of the fact that we would follow him."

"That's why Hiei is so concerned. He believes that when Yusuke reaches them, he will lead them further away from here, making it much more difficult to get to him before the fight is over, one way or the other," Kurama replied.

"Then I suggest we pick up the pace." And they did.

:-:-:-:-:

Koenma, would had returned briefly to Spirit World to handle paperwork and the like, had returned to Yusuke's fortress earlier that night. Hokushin had made sure to inform the Spirit Prince of the recent new information. It didn't sit well with either of them. Especially after Kurama had told them in a rush, and then left, that Yusuke had gone ahead alone. _Not this way. _Koenma thought with a heavy sigh. _Kami, not again..._

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei was pushing himself as much as he could. He could hardly remember the last time he'd needed this kind of speed. If nothing else, he was quite positive that at least he would reach Yusuke. The foxes weren't as fast as him, not even quite as fast as Yusuke, but he had a feeling they were pushing themselves harder than even he was today. He could feel the ex-detective's energy signature not too far ahead. It was flaring. That meant the fight had already started. He pushed a bit harder. _Don't be a fool, Detective. Not again. I'll go to Spirit World myself and drag your ass back, if I have to._ He thought with mixed emotions. _Don't be a god-damned fool!_

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke fired the Spirit Gun again. This was too easy. And that fact was setting him on edge. Demons this strong put up more of a fight than this. "That all you got?" he taunted as he felled another enemy. _Apparently_, he thought to himself with a cocky smirk. The smirk faded quickly, however. He felt a bit guilty blocking Hiei the way he had. There hadn't been any other way. It was a long shot, but maybe now Hiei wouldn't come. _None of them will die. Not today. And not for me._ He just couldn't go through it again. That was one of the main reasons he and Keiko were no longer together; why he hadn't called Kuwabara in on this one. He cared too much for them all to be put in danger for him.

Yet, he couldn't forget what Kurama had said to him, "_You're someone rules break around Yusuke... People are different when they're around you." _He remembered Hiei saying once something like, "_I do not have friends, Detective, and yet, here I am, jumping to save you. What does that tell you?"_ He had responded with a sarcastic, "_That you're the fool you're always calling me?"_ But he knew now, more clearly even than he had known then, that wasn't right. It was because Hiei _did_ have friends, and he was one of them. And because rules broke around him. People did things they normally wouldn't... Like forfeit their lives to save his. _Not this time._

He released a few double shotguns, pleased with how many of these demons he had managed to take down already, on his own. Maybe he hadn't needed to fight alone as he had. They didn't seem to be nearly the threat everyone had thought. With only a half-dozen of them left, Yusuke was feeling cocky and confident. And it allowed him to momentarily forget that something was wrong.

:-:-:-:-:

Hiei could smell the fight now; he was close. From what he could discern, Yusuke hadn't hardly taken any hits. That was good. Something didn't feel right, though. It had been too easy. Aurora had seemed almost fearful when she spoke of the strength of these demons. Could she have been so mistaken? Hiei had sinking feeling that answer was a resounding 'no'. Something was wrong. Fortunately, Hiei was nearly there. Nothing terrible would happen to Yusuke on his watch; he'd make damn sure of that.

:-:-:-:-:

Without warning, Aurora stopped running, pointed ears flicking in the opposite direction of where they had been going. Kurama almost didn't notice. Stopping short, he looked at his sister, a mix of question and irritation on his face. She didn't speak immediately, so he tried to hear what she was hearing. "What is it, sister?"

Her eyes were narrowed and not focusing on what they were looking at. She was throwing all of her concentration into listening. She knew she had heard something. There was no doubt. She just had to pinpoint it again. It was clear Kurama was growing impatient, but she didn't reply. After over a minute had passed, she found it. She pointed a slender finger in the direction of the sounds. Her brother focused on it.

And realized... They'd been had. The demons on the border were a trick, a clever ruse. Now they were all headed the wrong way... This was a mistake on everyone's part. An error that may very well have just royally fucked them all. _Goddammit..._

"Contact Hiei. I have an idea," Aurora eyes snapped open and she took a firm stance in front of her brother, facing north, where they had heard the real threat moving in. She spread her feet shoulder-width apart and raised her arms. The thick clouds and snow hadn't moved on yet and they were going to be used to their full advantage.

Kurama had a feeling he knew what was coming, so he was quick in using the link to call to Hiei. _Quickly, gather Yusuke and come back. It was a trick. We've been had. Aurora thinks she can slow them, but without the four of us there and with Mukuro guarding the wrong direction, they may never see it coming. And if no one notices what is happening, they won't be able to stop from being over-run. _

He heard that Hiei had understood what he'd said and he turned his attention back toward the situation unfolding before him. "I may need your support after this, Yoko. I may not be able to stand on my own."

Throwing back her head and gazing into the heavens, she called forth her element in larger proportions than were hardly ever necessary. Her amount of energy and her hard-fought control over it allowed her the resources she needed to accomplish something of this magnitude. With a slight smirk, she thought to herself, _oh, if this is how they want it, then this is how they'll get it. Take this, you arrogant bastards... _With everything she possessed, she summoned the snowy storm clouds, pouring ever ounce of her demon energy into them.

The chanting was quiet, most of it in a language Kurama had never been able to get a very decent handle on. Their mother had taught it to Aurora when they were both small. It seemed if one didn't have an affinity for water, or ice in this case, it was quite difficult to grasp the tongue used by them. It was a way of protecting what was theirs. He remembered vividly, however, the name of the goddess Aurora called upon when doing things like what she did now. Shiva, the goddess of ice and snow, and Aurora's guardian goddess. Most of the words he could decipher of her soft chanting was something like, "...Upon you, Great Shiva... Humble servant... grant one... I beg you... Snow... Storm... Death." The last word always sent chills coursing down Kurama's spine. The word in the icen language Aurora spoke came out in a sharp hiss, sounding something like_ Sensethia*. _It was one word he would never forget the meaning of.

As she closed the chant, the remainder of her power flew from her fingertips, shooting unhindered into the ever-darkening clouds above them. It seemed Shiva was pleased with the prayer and the offering of power. A marvel to behold, so long as it was being directed elsewhere, Kurama couldn't help but allow himself to be forcefully reminded of his twin's power. For the first time in a long time, he realized it was never the legendary Yoko Kurama who so many should have feared. It was her.

Something akin to a funnel cloud of a Human World tornado, the storm began swirling and extending dangerously down toward the earth beneath it. The clouds couldn't even be called gray anymore, they were undoubtedly black. The wind was both frigid and strong. It lifted trees from the ground that weren't even very near the eye of the massive storm. Kurama noticed Aurora was swaying gently on her feet, it was clearly taking her all to maintain control over this _un_natural disaster. Guiding it as though she had done this many times before, she carefully avoided the fortress and its surrounding area, forcing the storm to reach its destination without causing their own side any major damage.

Keeping an eye on Aurora's ability to remain standing, Kurama concentrated on the far-off location they had heard the danger from. The storm had nearly reached them. Something distracted his attention back in the direction of the fortress. A tornado in earnest was moving rapidly, following the path Aurora's storm had mercilessly created. It took Kurama a moment to understand. _Jin._ It seemed the wind master was adding his assistance. That meant someone there had figured out what was going on. Hopefully, Mukuro had realized it. Someone certainly had; there was no mistaking the goal of Jin's own storm. As it met up with Aurora's, she let out a soft cry and her knees buckled.

Rushing forward to catch her before any part of her even grazed the ground, he asked her what was wrong. Breathless and weak, she whispered, "The wind-wielder... He's giving me... the power... over his... tornado... It's difficult to..." she trailed off, panting.

"Perhaps I can assist you?" came a voice from behind them.

Kurama snapped his head back to look. At first, he didn't quite understand. "Touya?"

"I can lend her some of my energy. I'm an ice master, too, you know," he stated calmly. In response to Kurama's questioning stare, he said, "Mukuro discovered the trickery and informed us of it. Jin sent me here as soon as he realized what that storm was." He took several meaningful steps towards them. "Shall I lend her some?"

Understanding washed through Kurama's mind like a flood. Relief was the next thing to follow it. Nodding, he allowed Touya to stand behind Aurora where he had just been. Supporting her, the other ice master began feeding his energy to her. Her eyes snapped open after a moment. It did not take her long to understand what was happening. Murmuring soft words of appreciation, she forced the storm to its final destination.

Touya had opened an almost completely total tap into his energy for her. It was flowing through them like water during a drought. Their eyes were glowing with the pale light of enough energy to level several of the biggest cities in the world. Aurora and Touya let out a haunting battle cry as the storm exploded over its enemies. Touya's energy swirling around the two dangerously, as Aurora's and Jin's destroyed everything in its path.

Watching the two demons before him, Kurama was reminded, once again, of the effect Yusuke Urameshi had on people. It was solely because of him the that those two ice-wielders were doing this. To protect him, to fight for him, to prove their loyalty to him. _Because_ of him. There were plenty of other examples of this; Jin, Mukuro, Yomi (when he was alive), Hiei, and the list went much further than that. The army that had risen to answer the call of Tourin's leader was proof enough.

His ears flicked as he noticed another presence approaching. Glancing for just a moment, he was relieved to see Hiei, accompanied by Yusuke, walk slowly forward. It was clear they had run at incredible speeds to get here. As they came to a stop to watch Aurora, Touya, and Jin's work, Yusuke's mouth dropped open.

_Good,_ Kurama thought, _now he can see for himself what his friends are willing to do for him. _

_*** - A word I made up for my use of Aurora's second language, which I also made up.**_

_**This was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed thinking it up and putting in down on paper. :) As a thank you for reading and reviewing so wonderfully, I made sure this was a longer one and got posted quicker. Thank you! Until the next update... **_


	16. Chapter 16: Brace for Impact

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Sixteen: _**Brace for Impact**_

_As they came to a stop to watch Aurora, Touya, and Jin's work, Yusuke's mouth dropped open._

_ Good, Kurama thought, now he can see for himself what his friends are willing to do for him._

Touya didn't not let go of Aurora, even as their energies began to die down. It soon became apparent that neither could stand without the other's support. They were both panting, eyes finally closed. Kurama began to take hesitate steps toward them. Before he could reach them, however, something happened. It was so fast, Kurama wasn't even sure at first what actually had occurred.

From somewhere above them, a strange light had fallen upon the two ice apparitions. Almost as soon as it had completely engulfed them, it solidified into something that look remarkably like ice. A crystalline structure that had seemingly captured them both inside it. It was difficult to see clearly into the ice, as its surface was uneven and warped. The three left watching this occurrence were fairly sure two different voices could be heard as their owners cried out.

For several long moments, nothing changed. Then, just as Kurama, Hiei and Yusuke had drawn and readied weapons, the ice shattered, melting as soon as it hit the ground. Suddenly released of their icy prison, Touya and Aurora dropped to the ground together. Neither seemed to be injured in any way. "What the hell just happened?" Hiei asked sharply, still unsure as to whether or not his katana would be needed.

"It would seem," Touya responded slowly, "that our goddess has seen it fit to provide us with a return of our energy."

Aurora gave a faint smile, eyes still closed. "It would also seem, young toushin, that even the gods themselves smile down upon you and your cause."

Yusuke still looked shocked and dazed. "What _was _all that?"

"The storm?" He nodded. "It was three demons saving your kingdom from destruction."

"Three?"

"Yes," Touya answered this time, rising gingerly to his feet, then turning to help Aurora to hers. "Aurora started it, Jin added to it, and I assisted in completing it."

Yusuke could only nod as he thought about this. That huge display of power. It could still be felt stinging through the air. "Do you see now, Yusuke?" Kurama asked him softly after a moment of silence. Yusuke looked questioningly at him.

"Do you see how valuable you are?" Kurama gestured toward his sister, Touya and the fortress. "Never think for one single moment that any of this would be taking place were it not for you. Do you even realize the last time Makai saw anything like what it has in the past few years with your influence? Never forget what your friends and allies are willing to do for your sake and that of your cause."

Touya added softly, "Not many would trust their power to anyone else. In the last few days alone, a trust has been built by rivals simply to aid you."

Yusuke stared at him, and then each of the others in turn. Aurora moved to stand beside him. "They're right, you know." She glanced over her shoulder. "And as much as I'd like to give you a few moments to allow that to sink in, I'm afraid we don't have that luxury."

Hiei frowned, "What do you mean?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm afraid the enemies we just destroyed were only the first wave." Opening golden eyes once again she stared off into the forest that lined the western border. "It would seem that the real war has finally begun. We've won the first battle. Now, we must win the rest."

The five fighters ran at top speed back to the fortress where Mukuro waited patiently to greet them. While they ran, in the distance to the south, where the unnatural winter storm had struck, some of the destruction could be seen. Fragments and boulders of ice lay tainted red from the blood of those they had killed. Many demons had been torn limb from limb from the sheer force of the wind. Trees lay uprooted all around. Bloody snow covered everything. It seemed none had survived. Yusuke was proud of them, his friends. They had gone to great feats this day to fight for him.

As they approached Mukuro raised her gaze to them. "I must say, that was a rather impressive show," she said, eyebrows raised gently.

Hiei spoke to her first. "That was just the beginning. Are you ready for the real fight to start?"

Mukuro grinned with her canines. He took that as a 'yes'.

Yusuke was pleased to see that Hokushin had done an outstanding job of ensuring that everyone was ready and prepared. Rallied before them was the near entirety of his army. Some he recognized, many he didn't, but all of them were willing and able to fight for him. With a inaudible sigh, he looked over them, almost wondering which would survive this day, survive the rest of this war. Sadness and regret stole over him for just a moment. Maybe he should have taken one last trip back to the Human World before now. Said a real goodbye to Kuwabara, Keiko, his mom, Yukina, Genkai... He hoped now, more than ever, they would remember him if something happened to him here, today. He hoped with most of his heart they would remember all the great things he'd ever done, and that they'd smile when his name came up in a passing conversation or thought.

Most of all, though, he hoped he get to see all those people he cared about again. He hoped that each and every one of those standing before him made it back to where they wanted to be, wherever that was, one more time. And if that couldn't be achieved, which he believed firmly that it could not, he hoped that they all had realized what he had in his life. He hoped they knew what love was, what trust was, what friendship and loyalty were. Because he did.

He could see Koenma off in the distance, close to the fortress. The ex-detective gave his old boss a wave and a grin, before turning around, facing what was shortly to come. Touya moved with ease to his place beside Jin and the others. The three others standing near Yusuke turned as well, effectively creating the front line. Eyes resting on where the opposing army could now be heard clearly in their approach, they waited.

When the opposing army finally broke through the trees, continuing their charge toward Yusuke's own army, four figures stood further forward from the group of soldiers. Yusuke stood in the middle with Aurora on his left, Kurama on his right, Hiei brought the other side, on Kurama's right. Baring his sharp teeth, Yusuke allowed that old shitting-eating grin to take to his face. This was it. Their last stand. The stuff history was made of.

Aurora was dressed in the same pale green dress Hiei had seen her in last night, hair still up neatly, white necklace glittering faithfully on her neck. Her golden eyes were clear and rested firmly on the approaching army. In her left hand was the red glow of her demon bow, which hung at her side. In the forefingers of her other hand, she twirled absently an arrow, waiting patiently to notch it. Her lips were set in a firm line that tipped only slightly at one corner. The snow that was still falling seemed to flutter around her for a moment before falling normally.

Yusuke's outfit, like most he ever wore, had been chosen simply for its efficiency in battle. Today, he had taken a leaf from Kurama's book, wearing a red silk shirt, the hue of blood. For his pants, which hung slightly loose, tightening at his ankles, were as black as Hiei's hair. His feet were placed easily apart, slightly to the side. In front of him, his right hand was formed in the shape of his favorite and signature attack, his trusty Spirit Gun; his left hand clasped onto his right wrist. Blue energy glowed faintly, especially at the tip of his pointer finger, waiting at the ready. Steady, deep brown eyes flashed in anticipation. That same old Urameshi grin never left his face.

Kurama, or rather Yoko, was dressed as he often was in this form. The long white tunic hung on him as perfectly as it ever had. There was a flawless rose in one hand which rested against his leg, the other was placed lightly on one hip. The picture of calm, as the fox always was. That same knowing, soft smile touched his pale lips. Hard caramel colored eyes watched with feigned disinterest as their enemy marched steadily closer. Tail flicking the air absently, his smirk widened.

Hiei, too, was clad as he was so often was. Black being the primary color of choice. The ward over the Jagan had been removed previously, as had the long bandage-like one that covered the Dragon tattoo on his forearm. It twined on his skin, never still, as though it too, could feel the upcoming battle. Cunning crimson eyes danced with excitement, flashing at random intervals. His face was the usual cleverly formed mask. His mouth was set in a firm line, but if one looked hard enough, a ghost of a smirk could almost be seen. His hand rested diligently on the hilt of his sword, ready at a single moment's notice, for its master's command.

"Are we ready, men?" Mukuro could be heard not far behind these four. Cheers of an affirmative echoed after her voice.

Yusuke took his eyes off his enemies for a moment to glance to his left and right. The three people he cared for the most. Hiei, his favorite rival-turned friend; Kurama, his most intelligent, cunning and compassionate friend; and Aurora, his newest friend and, if they lived through this, maybe something else. The three people who, if it came down to it, would be dying at side, as they had fought at it so many times before. A wave of nostalgia crashed over him for a single moment in time. Flickering through his mind were the memories of so many years. Back to the very beginning, back to his Spirit Detective days with Kuwabara as the fourth member. Back to the time when each and every battle felt equally daunting and seemingly impossible to overcome. And yet, there they were. All alive. Every hardship overcome.

And here they were again. Facing down the uncertainty once more. As teammates, as fighters, as friends. Each one of them in their own way, an essential part of it. Yusuke was undoubtedly the strength; Kurama was the brains; Hiei was the speed; and Aurora was the grace. Each important in making up the whole. Though each possessed a bit of what all the other's had, each had a specific job and talent. The three on either side of him, he realized now, were the others that rules broke around. Just like him. Each of them had taught him something so invaluable, he knew he wouldn't be here, or possibly alive at all, were it not for them. The most important thing they had taught him, and each other, was how to live. They were all guiding each other in just learning to live again.

"Learning to live again," Yusuke whispered, a feeling of contentment sweeping over him as though he had just discovered the answer to an exceeding important, age-old question.

"What was that?"

Yusuke glanced at his friends again. "Nothing. Was just thinking." He was met with three smirking expressions in varying degrees. "Are we ready, my friends?"

"Always," came the answer from three different mouths.

_**Sorry it's a bit short. I just felt this was a perfect place to separate it from the next chapter. Two updates in one day? :) Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I look forward to reading them!**_


	17. Chapter 17: Of Betrayal and Doubt

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Seventeen: _**Of Betrayal and Doubt**_

"_Learning to live again," Yusuke whispered, a feeling of contentment sweeping over him as though he had just discovered the answer to an age-old question. _

_ "What was that?"_

_ Yusuke glanced at his friends again. "Nothing. Was just thinking." He was met with three smirking expressions in varying degrees. "Are we ready, my friends?"_

_ "Always," came the answer from three different mouths. _

:-:-:-:-:

There was death everywhere. Demons, on both sides, were lying everywhere in varying degrees of death. The devastation was immense. Not many were currently without injury. Most were moments from death, if not already there. Yusuke was one of the few who was mostly without injury, save many bruises and cuts. His energy was beginning to dwindle down, as he had been fighting for hours now. Kurama was also looking not too worse for wear. As he was fighting back-to-back with Hiei, they were both spared many wounds. It was an excellent strategy, so long as both parties involved were able to match each other's movements to perfection.

Yusuke had wound up staying near Aurora on the battlefield, though they didn't speak much to each other aside from questioning the other's wellbeing. Aurora had saved Yusuke twice from some rather nasty wounds; she, herself, taking one of the blows and deflecting the other. That injury to her abdomen had occurred several hours ago, so it was not difficult to believe that her strength was wearing thin. Her movements, while still quite effective, were slower and lacking their usual grace. There was no snow falling anymore, and Yusuke assumed this was because she had no energy to spare. She had yet to call forth her trademark technique she had shown to him days before, and he wondered offhandedly if she even had enough strength to call the being now.

Jin, Touya, Chu, Shishi, Mukuro, and a few others had made a group between them, protecting each other and preventing any really serious harm to any one of them. It was working well, and Yusuke was just thankful they were all still alive. He could just barely see them now, as they had moved back several yards to help better protect the fortress.

Their opponents' numbers were severely lowered now, which Yusuke was also thankful for. Many of the demons they hadn't killed had taken off, in hopes of their lives being spared. Aurora had told the toushin that many of the lower-class demons had absolutely no sense of honor or shame, so it wasn't a surprise that they had fled. The only real surprise, she'd said, was that many more of them hadn't attempted to escape before now. Yusuke looked over the vast field of blood, corpses and death. He had been doing this quite often to make sure his other two companions were still alright, not in need of aid and most importantly, still alive. This time, he was happy to know, was the same as all those before it. The only change was that they were no longer fighting back-to-back. Kurama had moved closer to where Yusuke was standing. Since the enemy forces were now more spread out, there was no need to have two of the best fighters in one place.

Kurama, feeling eyes upon him, glanced towards Yusuke. He flashed a wily, mischievous grin at his leader before turning back to the fight he was winning. It wasn't terribly hard to see that Kurama was enjoying himself. He was now only half his fox-self. His pale silver hair was streaked with that fiery read, his eyes were swirls of emerald and gold, he still had his fox ears atop his head but no tail protruded from behind him. Yusuke decided he liked Kurama best this way; it was the best of both halves that made up the half-demon.

Yusuke turned his eyes to Hiei now. He was enjoying himself even more than Kurama, though he was very good at not showing it. Yusuke could see it, though. His eyes danced, his smirk was wider, his breathing was fast and even. He didn't look towards Yusuke, instead he called, "Start pulling your own weight, Detective!" But his tone was laughing and light.

Yusuke grinned. "Yeah, yeah," he yelled back. "I've been too busy picking up your slack."

"Now, now, children," Kurama intervened without looking away from the two demons he was engaging in hand-to-hand with. "Wouldn't want our enemies to think we're getting cocky, now."

Hiei 'hn'-ed and Yusuke laughed, smashing in the face of a particularly ugly demon in front of him. "How are you fairing, sister?" Kurama called to Aurora, who glanced at him.

"Fine, brother, and yourself?" Though she was looking less and less 'fine' by the minute. Kurama didn't seem to take notice of this however because her tone was a mastery of calm neutrality.

"Excellent."

No one spoke again for maybe another hour before the silence was broken by someone crying out. Kurama jumped lightly away from the demon he was facing, towards his sister; he'd know her voice anywhere. "Aurora, what it is?" Yusuke looked up and saw exactly what was wrong. The wound she had acquired earlier had just been stabbed open again.

She was faltering; the three demons she had been fighting had nearly overpowered her now. "Move," Kurama commanded her before taking over her fight.

Aurora gripped the wound in her midsection with one arm, stepping away from the fray and allowing Kurama to handle them. A look of pain was etched across her face. "My... Lord," she panted, glancing over to Yusuke. "Please, come..." she didn't finish her sentence, motioning for him to come to her with her other hand instead.

Yusuke knocked away another foe and moved to stand in front of her. She looked as though she could barely stand. He quickly pulled her into an embrace to keep her upright. "What is it?" he asked softly into her ear. There seemed to be a momentary reprieve in enemies. Not many, besides those Kurama fought, were around anymore. He and his friends were winning this, Yusuke noted with some delight.

Her breathing was coming in shallow pants, body trembling. She leaned heavily into his arms. "I... I'm... so sorry, Yusuke..."

For one single moment, he was at somewhat of a loss; she had never called him by his name before... Then he felt it. He cried out as he felt something very sharp stabbed into his back. "Ah... You..." he voice was pained, and all he could do was stare at her in shock. It was a trap... Her wounds weren't paining her, at all... She justed needed him close to kill him... But... why now?

Kurama's head snapped up and over to Yusuke when he heard his friend cry out. He dropped one of his only remaining seeds, which quickly sprouted and finished off the demons he had been battling for Aurora. The scene before him shocked him to his core. For a long moment, he stood paralyzed. Yusuke had both arms wrapped around Aurora, seemingly to help her remain on her feet. Her face was more pale than it ever was before, blood stained the whole front of her gown, starting at her stomach, ending in a puddle on the ground. One of her arms was wrapped tightly around the wound, the other was encircling Yusuke. The hand of the arm around him was holding a sword of ice that was... stabbing through him. "No..." Kurama whispered, suddenly finding his feet.

As he sprinted to where the two stood, locked in an emotion-filled stare, he took in the rest of horrid situation at hand. The sword was protruding into Yusuke's back and out through his chest. His face was ghostly pale, the blood already beginning to flow from the harsh wound. Aurora whispered something Kurama couldn't hear in Yusuke's ear. Pulling him closer, she softly kissed him, just before letting go of him, allowing him to fall backwards away from her. There was a gentle, sad smile tilting up her mouth. There were tears in her eyes...

Kurama got to Yusuke just in time to catch him as he pitched backwards. The sword of ice embedded in him was already melting without her touch to keep it frozen. The wound remained, however. The fox looked up at her. "How could you?" he hissed. "I... I _trusted_ you!"

She gave him another soft, remorseful smile, "I did what I had to do." She turned away from him. "I am sorry," she whispered without looking back at him. "I hope you'll understand someday. I love you dearly, brother." She walked forward a few more steps before a man appeared in a cloud of black smoke. Aurora raised her eyes to look into the man's. "Nikolai," she said softly. She moved to stand closer to him, "The brat will soon be dead."

"Good, very good," the man laughed. "You've done well, my love. I'd been worried you had betrayed me. I shouldn't have ever doubted you, my beautiful, clever fox." He kissed her cheek gently before turning cold silver eyes towards Kurama and Yusuke, "I suppose we can wait to kill them until after their leader, the boy, is dead... Let them have their last moments together," he added with another humorless laugh.

Yusuke tugged on a piece of Kurama's hair, gaining his attention. When the kitsune was looking down at him, he whispered, "K'rama... Am I... dy- dying?"

"No, Yusuke, not dying," he replied gently. "Hush now, save your energy."

"F- fox, it... it hurts." The blood was pooling beneath him.

"I know. Shhh..." Tears were forming in Kurama's eyes. "It'll be alright..." The boy was taking wet sounding gasps of air that were becoming slower, shallower and further apart. _No... No, don't die, Yusuke. Not now. Not again! Not like this! _Kurama's mind pleaded. Desperately, Kurama cried Hiei's name through their link. _Hiei! Please come; hurry!_

Hiei looked up from where he was on the battlefield. Quickly, he beheaded the demon he had been fighting and scanned with his sharp eyes for his red-headed friend. _What is it? _Finally, he found the fox kneeling on the ground beside a very still body. He couldn't quite see who it was from here, but his stomach clenched. From what he could see, it looked like... but no... It _couldn't _be... "Detective!" Without another pause, he flitted to Kurama's side, some fifty yards away.

Panting, he, too, knelt beside their leader. "What happened?" he hissed angrily to Kurama. "Who did this to him?"

The fox was crying silently now, the tears dropping down his slender face and falling into Yusuke's dark hair. "It was Aurora," he replied quietly.

Hiei's anger exploded within him. He could hardly see straight. "That _fucking bitch!_" he seethed. "I'll kill her."

"No... I will kill her, but first..." he looked down again to the bleeding form of their friend. "He would want us here at his side... for his last moments, Hiei..."

Hiei's eyes softened a bit as he gazed down at Yusuke. He laid a hand on the toushin's shoulder. Yusuke's eyes flickered open weakly at the touch, "Hiei... I..." Blood bubbled up from his mouth and trickled down.

"Don't speak, fool," he whispered. His voice was oddly thick and gentle, Yusuke noticed.

_I really must be dying, then_, he though idly. It hurt too much to think very hard. He was tired... So tired... He had to tell them something... He couldn't quite remember what it was, though... The darkness was closing in... The pain in his chest was blinding. It was harder to breathe, nearly impossible now... His throat was slick... Slick with blood, maybe...? Something he had to say before he couldn't anymore... But what was it? _Oh._ "K'rama... I... she..."

Yusuke could feel the fox shaking with tears. "Hush, Yusuke; we know... You are our greatest friend, never forget that."

"You... guys... too..." was all he could manage. Was that what he needed to tell them...? His blood was beginning to drown him.

"Turn his head, Kurama. He can't breathe with all the blood," Hiei breathed.

Kurama didn't look up. Shaking his head he whispered through his tears, "It won't matter now, Hiei... His time is... quite short."

"Yusuke... You are very dear to me," Yusuke could hardly hear Hiei, his voice was so quite. "Don't die, Detective... Don't die, Yusuke."

So very tired... The pain... The darkness... "I..." _am sorry... _is what he tried to say. He hoped by thinking it, Hiei would know. He needed to breath; his chest hurt... He found he no longer could draw the air he needed. _This... is... it..._

Aurora watched his life fade before her with a strange feeling of detachment. She had taken her place at Nikolai's side. Something inside her was churning. It was almost like when Kuronue died... Only... _I killed him... Oh, Shiva, what have I done...?_

Kurama squeezed his eyes shut after he felt Yusuke's last breath leave him. "Goodbye, Yusuke..." he whispered. The tears ran unhindered now as he sobbed in earnest... _Yusuke..._ Slowly, the numbing agony and loss was being replaced by blinding anger and rage; there would be time later to succumb to the grief. Now was the time for revenge, and he was hell-bent and determined that he'd get it. "She will die for this," he promised quietly. And he meant it. He would kill his own flesh and blood; Yusuke meant that much to him. Gently, he closed Yusuke's blank brown eyes as he rested his dearest friend's body onto the dirt beside him, then he and Hiei got to their feet. "Ready?"

"Always."

**_I know you are all probably very upset and angry that everyone's favorite Spirit Detective has been killed. HOWEVER, please don't stop reading or lose faith yet. As the writer of this particular story, it is safe to believe when I say this: someone may just still have a trick or two left up their sleeve. I'll get the next update out asap!_**


	18. Chapter 18: Casting a Shadow

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Eighteen: _**Casting a Shadow**_

_ Kurama squeezed his eyes shut after he felt Yusuke's last breath leave him. "Goodbye, Yusuke..." he whispered. The tears ran unhindered now as he sobbed in earnest... _

_ Slowly, the numbing agony and loss was being replaced by blinding anger and rage; there would be time later to succumb to the grief. Now was the time for revenge. Gently, he closed Yusuke's blank brown eyes as he rested his dearest friend's body onto the dirt beside him, then he and Hiei got to their feet. "Ready?"_

_ "Always." _

It seemed Hiei and Kurama were not the only ones to notice the fading of Yusuke's energy. An eruption of anguished fury could be heard from behind them, back in the direction of Yusuke's fortress. Glancing for one single moment to look, Kurama saw Jin screaming and running towards them, followed closely by Touya, silent but also running, and a yelling Chuu being half-carried by Mukuro. Haunted expressions marred their faces, giving life to the feelings they all felt at the loss of their leader and friend. Jin was throwing off mini-tornadoes and had nearly succeeded in hitting Aurora with one before she quickly stopped their advance.

With a flick of her wrist, she constructed a wall of ice a few feet in front of them before creating one behind it, as well, then sealing it with a roof. This would be enough to halt them until Touya could gain enough control over the ice she wielded to lower it. Aurora gazed back at her twin. "Come, Yoko," she called. "I'll give you the honor of trying to kill me." There was something sparkling in her eyes, but Kurama couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly. It didn't really matter to him anyway now.

"Oh, trust me, I won't simply be trying." He steeled his resolve, as much as it hurt him. "You'll die for your actions tonight." He did not take his eyes off her, but he spoke to Hiei, "Hiei, you take that man... She's _mine._"

"Hn. Be careful, Fox."

"Always."

And so, it began. Kurama's rose snapped into life, and he took a few steps away from where Yusuke's body lay. Aurora began making her bow. "Thrice Ice," she breathed. Three arrows sang off their string towards him. He simply snapped his Rose whip. The three arrows fell to the ground, split in half. As the faded away, she sighed.

"Don't play games with me, Aurora. Either fight your best or allow me to kill you. If you give in now, I'll consider ending your life quickly."

Hiei, while distracted in his own fight, took a moment to think about what an impressive fight was about to take place between the two foxes. He had only ever seen that particular fire ignite in Kurama's eyes once before and never to the brightness it burned with now. Aurora was, for some reason, not yet calling that _thing_ she had shown Yusuke and the rest of them in the training grounds that day. Trying to forget how difficult this fight may be, he turned his eyes and his focus back onto the man called Nikolai.

Kurama snapped his whip again. He had tried to crack it against her but failed as she dodged gently to the left. Again, three arrows sang off her bow. This time, they averted his whip twice, before sinking themselves into his left arm. Hissing with sudden pain, he snapped his whip one last time before pulling a seed from his hair. With the distraction of the Rose Whip, he was able to free the seed without catching Aurora's attention to it. Though it looked at though it wasn't going to matter much. She was using her fingertips, she turned the ground all around them into a thick sheet of ice. This would prevent any plants from taking root in this soil. He sighed allowing the seed to drop, rendered, for the moment, useless.

Using her fluent grace, she began approaching him. The thorny vine cracked through the air, as much as an attack as a warning not to come any closer. Finally, she voice whispered through his head. _Please, come closer..._ He growled in a negative response and held his ground. _You must understand. Please! _He didn't like this. He simply could not trust her after what she had done to Yusuke... But he so badly wanted to trust her. Kurama took three slow, hesitant steps towards her. She raised her bow again, but gave him a tiny, nearly unnoticeable nod. He took three more steps. She fired the arrows, which were destroyed in the same way the first three had been; sliced neatly in half by an angry, thorned whip. "Not going to fight back, brother?" she called. But she mouthed, _Please, closer._ Finally, after several tense moments, he was right in front of her. She flicked a glance over at the man named Nikolai. He was busy with Hiei.

"What is it?" he snapped coldly.

"Take this. I trust you know what to do with it." she murmured so quietly he almost didn't catch all of her words. She thrust a small vile into his hands. "I had to do it. Now it's your job to right it." She looked him in the eyes and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry. I'll do what I can, brother. I can only hope it will be enough..."

Kurama gazed at her, lost somewhere between confusion and shock. She took a few steps back from him, raised her arms towards the heavens, and began chanting quietly. Though she was speaking the same language she had when she called the storm, Kurama knew the words to this one. He remembered the day Aurora had told him about it. And what happened to the one who used it... _"I call you from the lowest depths of Hell. Come forth; answer my call," _Aurora's voice was eerie and echoed over the land._ "I require the assistance only you can provide. Aid me in completing the last task of my life, as I offer my soul as payment. Heed my call!" _She took a deep breath and screamed at the sky,_ "I call upon you, one final time, Holy Bringer of Death!"_

Hiei whirled and jumped away from the man. He landed lightly in front of Kurama. He believed this attack was meant for her brother. "Oh, no, witch. You shall not kill two this night," he growled at her. She wasn't listening.

She cried out as black liquid light engulfed her. She was beginning to float, feet leaving the ground. Her hair and long dress seemed suddenly unaffected by gravity and swirled slowly in the air around her."End him," she whispered and it echoed eerily into the night. She was thrown backwards and towards the ground as the being burst forth from her. The being gave a wild, haunting call.

Kurama took two involuntary steps back, pulling Hiei with him. He looked over at Aurora. She was climbing back to her feet. She looked extremely ill; she could hardly hold her arm out in front of her as she directed the great beast. "Nikolai, I'll see you in _Hell!_" There was something wrong with her voice, Kurama noticed absently. It seemed to carry out and echo into the night.

"What is this?" Hiei whispered. "She's killing... _him?_"

"No, you goddamned bitch! I knew you betrayed me! How dare you!" Nikolai roared.

The Bringer pulled his sword from it's sheath with another deathly cry before he plunged his blade into the man's chest. "Die!" both Aurora and the Bringer screamed out.

However, the man did not die. He merely began to laugh. There was blood coming out of his mouth as he said, "Do you think I hadn't planned for this, you insolent child?"

Aurora fell to her knees. "Kill him..." she panted weakly. "Kill him, Bringer!" The creature born by the horse gave a cry and removed his blade from the man's chest. With one smooth swipe, he took off his head. Aurora smiled faintly before collapsing forward onto her hands. Now on all-fours, she took a ragged breath before heaving herself to her feet once more. She glanced at Kurama, eyes brimmed with emotion, "Destroy the weapon in his pocket... Now, get out of the way..."

Kurama pulled Hiei backwards with him. He eyes, however, remained on the creature of his sister's. The horse was rearing. The man riding it turned glowing red eyes to Aurora. "Come!" she called faintly. "Take your price." She body was trembling. The horse reared once more before the being charged at her. She looked over to Kurama as the Bringer closed in on her. _Goodbye, brother..._

Hiei grabbed Kurama's shirt when he took a few steps towards his sister. "No, Fox, there's nothing that'll do but get you killed, too," he warned quietly.

Kurama stopped walking with a slight nod. The creature was upon her now. She closed her eyes as the blackness engulfed her once more. She screamed and the now unidentifiable dark mass exploded and imploded all at once. The black seared into a blinding white. Kurama covered his eyes with his arm; Hiei did the same. After a few moments in which the dust settled, Kurama removed his arm and looked to where his twin was before. She was lying, quite still, in the same place she had previously been standing. "Aurora..."

Before Kurama could do much else, the ice holding their friends dissolved into a puddle as they rushed forward again. Touya was looking particularly irate. Apparently the ice hadn't succumbed to his will until after Aurora's hold over it ceased. Before any words could be spoken, they stopped moving forward to rest eyes on Yusuke. "So... he really is...?" _Dead... _went unspoken.

"What is that in your hand?" Hiei asked suddenly.

Kurama remembered the vile and scrap of paper he had, until that moment, forgotten about completely. He began with the note. It was Aurora's handwriting.

_Brother,_

_Destroy the weapon in Nikolai's possession, even if I have killed him. _

_Then, use the liquid in the vile. It is Essence of the Phoenix. _

_I trust you know what to do with it. I hope we are to meet again in the afterlife. _

_I love you, always._

_Aurora_

Kurama's eyes watered against his will. Clearing his throat, he turned to Hiei, "Go to that dead man. Search his pockets until you find something of value. Destroy it as soon as you've found it."

"Hn. And what will you do?"

"Just go!" Kurama replied, running forward. _Please, let this work..._

Hiei frowned, but flitted off to do as Kurama told him. He wasn't fool enough to disregard something the fox obviously thought was important. He knelt at the beheaded man's side and began his search. He silently wished Kurama had been a _little_ more specific in his instructions. _Something of value._ What the hell did that mean?

Kurama raced to Yusuke. "Please let this work, Inari, _please." _He dropped to the ground beside the still form of his friend. Carefully uncorking the vile, he took a breath then held it as he moved the vile to the boy's mouth. With his free hand, he gently forced his mouth open. He poured the liquid down Yusuke's throat slowly and painstakingly with trembling hands. _Please..._

When the vile was nearly empty, Kurama removed his hand. He'd used more than enough, now he just had to wait. He _hated _to wait. He looked over to see how Hiei was fairing. Quite well, it would seem. He had something small, round and glittering in his left hand. He was drawing his sword with his right. "Destroy this, Fox?" The kitsune nodded. Hiei unceremoniously dropped the thing to the ground.

Just before Hiei plunged his sword into the small round thing, harsh coughing caught everyone's attention. Hiei's head snapped up, and he moved quickly to Yusuke's other side, the device momentarily forgotten. Kurama's gently trembling lips twitched into a fragile smile. Yusuke's head turned to the side as he cleared the blood out of his airways and throat and spit it out on the ground. "Goddamn," he muttered, eyes still closed. "I feel like I got hit by a truck... about fifty times."

Hiei's expression said it all. He couldn't believe it. Yusuke was _alive! _He wasn't the only one who noticed. "Urameshi? !" was the general consensus. Smiles broke over one than one face, weak laughter could even be heard. _Yusuke was alive!_

Weary brown eyes flickered open, landing first on Hiei, then Kurama, then the rest of his friends, before finally resting on Aurora. She was lying still several feet away. His eyes widened slightly, several emotions overtaking his expression, one after another. "So it really wasn't a lie, then...?"

Kurama looked a bit confused. "What wasn't a lie, Yusuke?" he asked gently.

His eyes remaining on her for a moment longer before flitting to Kurama, Yusuke murmured, "Just before she stabbed me, she told me to trust her. Told me that she was going to fix everything before it was too late." And that she had said she loved him, Yusuke left out. "I thought it was just a lie when I realized I really was dying. But now... Damn. I'm impressed. She's a good actor." He looked at Kurama again. "Is she okay? Shouldn't you be helping her?"

Tears sprung to the kitsune's eyes. Yusuke caught sight of them before Kurama turned his head away. "No, Yusuke..." was all he could say before his voice refused to remain at an audible volume.

"No?" Yusuke breathed, sitting up. He realized a second after his head hit the ground again that it wasn't such a good idea to move right now. Squeezing his eyes shut against the dizziness and the fact that world seemed to be tilting, he spoke to Kurama, "Well, what happened?" The emotionless tone he used was almost as good as Kurama's own.

"She called forth that being of Hell. It requires the summoner to pay a price for its assistance. In this case, the price was her life," Hiei explained quietly, as it was apparent Kurama was currently unable to do so.

Yusuke kept his eyes closed as he fought against the wetness behind his eyes and the closing of his throat. _Oh..._

_**I knew after what happened in the last chapter, a quick update was in order. So, in exchange for killing our poor, favorite Yusuke momentarily, here is another quick update. Thank you, thank you, diligent readers and reviewers! I hope you've enjoyed thus-far. It may be a few days before I get the next one up, but please in the meantime, leave me your reviews. :)**_


	19. Chapter 19: Finding Redemption

Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Nineteen:**_ Finding Redemption_**

_ "She called that being of Hell. It requires the summoner to pay a price for its assistance. In this case, the price was her life," Hiei explained, as it was apparent Kurama was currently unable to do so. _

_ Yusuke kept his eyes closed as he fought against the wetness behind his eyes and the closing of his throat. Oh..._

Yusuke could not seem to be able to force these words make any sense in his mind. He turned them over, upside-down and side-ways until it was a jumble of useless words. Her life? She gave her life. For him. That was... not how it was supposed to be. Something clicked, distantly, in his mind. He had done this same thing for his friends. He knew it had been painful for them. But this... this was... _unbearable_.

Yusuke was saved from having to speak at that moment, as the telltale sound of wind being displaced announced Botan's arrival. Kurama suddenly went rigid. Yusuke found breathing damn near impossible. Hiei considered the different ways in which this would go down. "I'm so sorry, Kurama," she broke the silence with her whisper. Kurama did not respond; if it was possible, his posture merely got more stiff. There no room for doubt as to why she was here.

Yusuke had finally, with some difficulty, gotten to his feet. "No."

Botan looked extremely uncomfortable and guilty. "I'm sorry. You know I have to."

Yusuke took two steps toward Aurora's body. "Fix it." His tone was soft and level. It was worse than if he had been screaming.

"I-I can't."

Two more steps. "Yes, you can."

"Yusuke-" she began, tone pleading.

"Botan," he cut her off in that same calm, steady voice. "If you won't do it for me, then do it for Kurama."

"Yusuke, you know I can't do-"

"Then take me instead," beside his voice breaking upon the last word, it betrayed no emotion. Botan raised a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, struggling to fight back the tears. This is why she sometimes hated this job. She hated seeing the looks on the loved ones' faces. Especially when those faces belonged to people she loved, too.

Kurama had gotten to his feet. Refusing to meet Botan's eyes or even look at her, he moved to kneel beside his sister's still form. "Aurora," he breathed. Yusuke was the only one, except Botan, who was close enough to hear his barely audible words. "Do you remember what I asked of you, all those years ago?" He paused. "I'm going to ask that you do it now." _Speak to me just one... last... time._

Botan looked as though she was cursing every deity she could think of that it had been her that had to come take her away. She couldn't stand the look on Kurama's face or the tone of his voice. _Broken... _Yusuke felt guilty, as though he had just listened to something extremely private. Kurama remained motionless next to his sister's body. "Please." Yusuke wasn't sure if he had actually heard Kurama say that, at all, as it had been so quiet.

At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the wind picked up. When it started, it was something that didn't seem relevant; something that could have been just the usual weather. But then, from the clear, cloudless sky, snowflakes, absolute perfection in shape, gently wisped to the ground. Yusuke and the others watched in grim fascination, slowly realizing the snow fell in a particular way. After several silent moments, it became clear this was Aurora's answer to her brother's request. In swirling letters, a message was spelled out in perfect whiteness.

_Never forget_

Kurama gazed at the message until the wind began to drag and smear it, his breathing shallow and shaky. Extending an arm, he gathered a handful of snow before it had all blown away. His hair falling low over his eyes, tears began to mix with the slow drip of melting snow. Yusuke, moved beyond guilt, sat down next to Kurama. For a moment, he didn't move. When Kurama's shoulders began to tremble, Yusuke pulled him into a hug.

Gazing meaningfully at Botan, Yusuke murmured words of apology and encouragement into Kurama's ear. "Hey... You can cry; it's alright... I'm so sorry, Kurama..." At each word his friend whispered, Kurama's grip on his shirt got tighter. It was getting more and more difficult to control the tears. "Just let it out... It'll help."

Koenma had moved forward from the background, his eyes hollow and dark. Tears tracks were evident on his face. It was clear he had believed they'd lost Yusuke for good, as well. Clearing his throat, he looked over at his favorite ferry girl. "Botan, if you would please-"

"No!" Yusuke and Kurama cried at once to Koenma.

Coughing gently, Kurama murmured, "Please, just another minute."

"Kurama-"

Yusuke cut him off, "Can't you just give the guy one more goddamned minute?"

"Well, if you'd let me finish, I was going to ask Botan to move you two out of the way," Koenma told him dryly.

He received three blank stares, until Botan apparently caught on, and walked to the boys. Using incredible patience and gentleness, she finally got the two a few feet from Aurora. "There you go, Koenma, sir."

"Very good." Koenma cleared his throat once again. "By the power vested in me, I hereby call back the soul of one previously lost to this world. In the face of sudden bravery, selflessness and saving my favorite ex-detective's butt in an, albeit odd, fashion... Nonetheless, I grant back the life that was taken." Kurama gasped. Koenma smirked slightly, "I know the speech isn't the catchiest, but I did write it before you were even born."

"What- what did you... You-you..." Kurama could finish a sentence. Hiei nearly couldn't turn his laugh into a cough successfully in time. The fox sounded so much unlike himself, it was humorous.

Kurama ran to kneel beside Aurora again, "Sister?" he asked, disbelief still evident on his face. She made no response. His head snapped to Koenma, eyes sharp and fully golden.

"Give it a minute," Koenma swallowed. Yoko never ceased to make him nervous. Something about the sharp teeth and claws set him on edge slightly.

The wind began to blow again, erasing what had been left of Aurora's words. Kurama stared unblinkingly at her, waiting for anything at all to change. At first, it didn't seem that anything would happen, but small things began to change. The first of what Kurama took to be a sign was the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Once, then twice, three times, and then it gradually fell into a rhythmic constant. When her eyelids fluttered, he pulled her into an embrace with a quite cry.

"Put... me... down." Kurama didn't comply at first. When he finally did, she jumped to her feet, rounding on Koenma. "What did you just do?" she snapped. Koenma gazed, dumbfounded. Usually, resurrected souls were a bit less... angry than this. "Do you think I want to owe you? ! Do think that is why I did that?"

Koenma shook his head, understanding dawning. "You don't me anything. The only person you owe something to is Yusuke. If it were not for him, I would not have done it." He glanced at Yoko as he muttered, "No offense," with a half-shrug.

Aurora seemed unsure of what to say to that. Then, "Did you destroy it, brother?"

An uncharacteristically uncomprehending expression took to Kurama's face for just a small space of time. Before he could reply at all, however, someone else spoke. "No, he didn't."

Aurora's eyes of molten caramel narrowed and flashed. "If anyone is incapable of a fight, I suggest they make haste elsewhere," was her sharp hiss. Botan and Koenma didn't need telling twice. Kurama moved closer to Aurora, Hiei moving closer to Yusuke.

"Why is he alive?" Yusuke muttered to Hiei.

"Ah, I'm quite pleased you asked, half-breed," the owner of the voice answered in a mockingly laughing tone. "It seems that no one bothered to heed that little bitch's warning." Nikolai, with his head very much attached, stepped forward. With speed even Hiei may not have been able to achieve, he came to stand directly in front of Aurora. "Isn't that right, my little whore?"

She glared at him, moving to strike. He was faster. He gripped her wrist until an audible crack was heard. To her credit, she did not so much as wince. "Not enough pain?" he whispered. "How about this, then?" He lowered his head to her neck. Before she could pull away, he sunk sharp fangs deep into her skin.

"No!" she screamed out before she was able to shove him away. Gripping her neck with the hand of her unbroken wrist, she gasped, "I'll kill you for that." Hiei noticed the placement of his bite had been deliberate. It had reopened the old wound where Kuronue's mark had been.

"You've already tried and failed once." He laughed as he deflected Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei's attacks with an ease of one batting at a fly. "Now that I've erased that damn bat's mark from you, what will do to me?" he taunted.

Yusuke quickly took initiative. "Kurama, get with Hiei, you two watch each other's back best. Touya, get next to Aurora and start combining your energy. It was awesome last time. Jin, get Chu somewhere safe, then you join up with Shishi. Mukuro, you're with me." He flashed a grin. "Come on, everybody, let's finish this thing right!"

Spreading out in the pairs they had been assigned, they arranged themselves in a way so that it lessened the chance of their allies being hit with ricochet and raised the chance of actually hitting their target. Nikolai did nothing as this took place. Standing with a ridiculous smile on his face, he asked them finally, "May we begin now?" He laughed when his only reply was an onslaught of attack. "You'll have to do better than that!"

With seemingly no effort, he knocked Yusuke's Spirit Gun bullet back at him, causing him to have to jump to avoid it; he gripped the end of Kurama's Rose Whip and gave it a sharp tug, forcing the fox to fall to one knee; he sidestepped Hiei's sword, causing it collide with the dirt and sink in up to its hilt; he forced Aurora and Touya's Shards of Winter to collide with Jin's mini-tornadoes, rendering them useless; and he managed to avoid Mukuro and Shishi altogether. Yusuke frowned and turned to Mukuro, "I have a feeling this isn't gonna work." She nodded, readying another attack. "I'm open to suggestions," he muttered, doing the same.

:-:-:-:-:

Touya glanced over his shoulder at Aurora for a moment, while they gathered another round of energy. "You know," he informed her almost conversationally, "if you weren't Kurama's sibling, I might not be able to stand the sight of you right now."

"I'm flattered," she replied dryly, "however, may we discuss this later? Your focus on this would be appreciated." Pausing in their attack, she formed a make-shift splint for her wrist out of ice.

"You killed Yusuke. That's rather inexcusable, don't you think?"

She sighed, pausing her reply as they fired off another round of ice shards together. "I don't expect you to understand." She gave him a look. "Now, as I just stated, we have a fight to be focusing on. I'll be willing to have this conversation at another time."

He was unmoved. "You're only saving grace was that Kurama had whatever was in that vile to heal him."

As she created her bow, he took a step away from her. "Who do you suppose gave that to him?" she asked quietly, drawing back her arrows. She winced, her wrist stinging in protest at being used.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No, I expect nothing from you," she replied evenly, as the arrows sang through the air, "but you started this conversation."

"And that wasn't a lie, was it?" he thought aloud. "You really did have that planned all along."

"Yes," she murmured, even though he hadn't been asking a question. "You have no idea how badly..." she trailed off, flipping gracefully to avoid the two arrows that had been sent back. Landing, she finished, "How difficult it was to do what I did." Without words, she and Touya began something akin to a dance together. When any one attack didn't work, they moved on to another.

Moving easily into another stance, this time to send pillars of sharpened ice up from the ground, Touya questioned, "Then why do it?"

She cast him a short glance, eyebrows raised. "Why do you think? I needed to get Nikolai in a place where I could kill him. He needed to believe I was loyal to him. There was no way around it. Clearly you can see why I attempted to prevent this," she gestured at their current predicament, "from happening. Even though I'm _honored_ that Spirit World brat brought me back to life," Touya smirked slightly at that, "I trust you can see just how abysmal our odds of winning are now."

Touya nodded slightly. "I suppose I can still trust you."

"So glad to hear that," she deadpanned. Though, truthfully, she was a bit grateful; the more trust they had to work with, the better the battle outcome was going to be.

"Now that we've got that all worked out, what, dare I ask, is your plan for this? Obviously we are in need of something much stronger than these separate attacks."

She frowned, "I am quite sure Yusuke will be formulating something of a plan." She glanced at Touya another time, "I'll ask only that you continue to fight beside me." He understood the words' unspoken meaning, _please forgive me for what I did and trust me. _

Their eyes locked, and he said, "You care about him a great deal, don't you?" Her head bowed a fraction. "Then yes, I'll fight beside you."

:-:-:-:-:

Kurama lifted his gaze. "Hiei," he murmured to the jaganshi as he attempted to salvage another discarded attack. "If we have any hope of succeeding, we're going to have to do better than this."

"Hn," was the agreement. Though he had not yet completed any attacks with his sword, he hadn't called upon the dragon. It would not bode well to be hasty against an opponent like this. He would wait a bit longer for Yusuke's command. Hopefully that boy had come up with something.

Sure enough, not more than a few moments after he had thought that, Yusuke's voice sounded through his mind. _Need a favor. I have... a plan. Or, at least, something that'll pass as one. If you could, you know, share it with the rest of the class..._

_ Very well. What am I going to be relaying?_

When Yusuke had finished explaining, which took a bit longer as more than half of his concentration was focused on not getting killed, Hiei scoffed. _I'm not sure I'd actually call that a plan... But I'll pass it on. It cannot be anymore abysmal then we're currently fairing. _To himself, he thought, _And it just might work._

_ Yeah, yeah. Just send the message, alright?_

_ Hn. _"Well, fox, it would seem the Detective has come up with something, after all."

"And it's absolutely insane?" Kurama asked, rather offhandedly.

"Of course."

"Alright, I'm listening." Insanity was Yusuke's specialty, after all. In fact, Kurama couldn't think of a time when it _hadn't_ worked out well for him and the rest of them. _Well, maybe one or two instances..._ he thought with a fond smile. _Only Yusuke. _For the first time since it had happened, his mind focused in one thing for just a moment. _Yusuke is alive. _His fond smile widened. With Yusuke on their team, all things were possible.

After Hiei had telepathically, or verbally in Kurama's case, spread the word, he told Yusuke everyone was ready and waiting on the signal. Touya had seemed particularly wary of this plan, but, in the end, everyone had agreed. It was as Hiei had said; there wasn't much chance they could do much worse than they already were. He was skeptical to believe they'd even managed to hit that bastard once.

For them to even have a snowball's chance in hell, timing was absolutely essential. There could be no hesitation between the sequence of attacks. Yusuke would begin the chain of events, with Jin backing him up. Kurama and Touya would be second, followed closely by Hiei and Aurora with the big guns. All of it ended with Yusuke. As he had said, it was his fight, he should get to start it and finish it.

So, on Yusuke's signal of taking the Spirit Gun stance, feet spread to shoulder width and his left hand bracing his right wrist with his pointer finger straight forward and thumb raised, the chain-reaction began. Yusuke's first bullet missed, as Nikolai had no trouble dodging it. This was where Jin came in. With his mastery over wind, he easily manipulated Yusuke's energy to follow their enemy wherever he tried to move to avoid it. While his attention was focused on dodging the Spirit Gun bullet, Kurama and Touya entered the fray next. Kurama snapped his whip at the same time Touya called up some ice. The Rose Whip cracked upon its connecting with Nikolai's arm. It wrapped around it, effectively rendering one arm useless. While that was done, Touya's ice encased around both of the man's feet, quickly working its way up to his calves, ceasing anymore movement.

The instant the ice was in place, Hiei was ready. With his left hand bracing his right arm, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame burst forth. In the same moment, Aurora was already being taken over by the blackness just before the Bringer of Death materialized from it in front of her. As though they worked with one mind, the Dragon and the Bringer surged forward, closing the gap between them and their target. Hiei and Aurora had strategically placed themselves directly opposite each other of this imaginary circle, Nikolai being in the dead center. Each of the others had moved back several hundred feet in preparation of the collision of the two gigantic beings of power. It did not disappoint.

The resulting explosion was so intense, it sent Hiei and Aurora backwards quite a few feet, their arm up over their face to protect their eyes. As the Dragon dissipated and the Black Horse reared with a mighty screech, it was still unclear what damage they'd managed. However, without waiting for the dust to settle, Yusuke fired a magnificent Demon Gun blast dead center, where Nikolai should have been. Aurora waited to call back the Bringer; it took much less energy than to call it forth again should it be needed.

With most of them left breathless and low on energy, all they could really do was stand, wait and hope beyond all reason that they'd won. Touya had moved forward, allowing Aurora to brace against him. Yusuke stepped forward as well, coming to her other side. Kurama moved quickly to Hiei's side, a silent offering of support should it be accepted, his broken and burnt whip laying forgotten in the soil a few feet from him. He was so concentrated on Hiei's wellbeing, he missed the twitch it gave, seemingly of its own accord. Panting, Yusuke leaned forward slightly, propping his hands on his legs.

Suddenly, a chilling scream tore through the air. Aurora gasped and Touya had to grab onto her shoulders to keep her from collapsing. Trembling from muscle overexertion, Yusuke moved to embrace her instead. "What was that?" he asked her quietly, barely daring to breathe.

"He's killed... Destroyed... I didn't think it was possible..." Aurora half-answered, eyes wide, body nearly in convulsions.

"What?"

"He... Nikolai killed the Bringer of Death."

Aurora took a shallow breath, Yusuke swallowed with some difficulty and Touya remained absolutely silent. Although unspoken, they all agreed on one thing. That... was not good...

_**Alright, another action chapter. Thoughts? Please, let me know. :)**_


	20. Chapter 20: Of Living and Dying

Learning to Live Again

_**Author's Note: I'm sorry this one took so long to get out. I've been rather busy here lately. I hope you can forgive me. :) Also, as you all have been so very patient with me, I will be posting a preview chapter for the sequel. I should have it up tomorrow. It will be posted at the end of this story, as a 21st chapter. Please, as always, let me know what you think. **_

_**I enjoyed writing this story immensely, and I hope the sequel will be equally as enjoyable, for all parties involved. As a warning, however, it is going to stray away from the plot of this one. You'll understand more with the preview. :) This chapter will conclude Learning to Live Again. Thank you all for being such excellent readers!**_

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I _do _own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Twenty: _**Of Living and Dying**_

_ "He... Nikolai killed the Bringer of Death."_

_ Aurora took a shallow breath, Yusuke swallowed with some difficulty and Touya remained absolutely silent. Although unspoken, they all agreed on one thing. That... was not good..._

Hiei listened to their short conversation through his link with Yusuke. Kurama knew, as well. Jin, Mukuro and Shishi still hadn't moved forward; they stood, waiting for something to happen. Koenma had moved to hold Botan at some point through all of this, both of them waiting with held breath. Slowly, painfully slowly, the dust began to settle. Finally, the air was clear enough to see the extent of what they'd accomplished.

Nickolai stood, grinning, exactly where he had been before. His clothes were badly singed and torn. A long gash bleed steadily on his cheek, puncture wounds were evident on his arm where Kurama's whip had been. His silver eyes danced with vile intentions and arrogance. "A valiant effort, indeed. It's a pity you've failed."

Aurora sunk to her knees. "No," she whispered.

"I believe I'll kill you first, my little whore," Nikolai chuckled darkly.

"Over my dead body," Yusuke hissed.

"Oh, insolent half-breed. That can be arranged!"

Hiei managed to call out a warning to Yusuke, telling him to move not a second too soon. The Jagan had seen it about five seconds before it happened. Jumping to the left, as Aurora was on his right, the bolt of energy grazed Yusuke slightly, sending shock waves through his body.

Nickolai, for the moment, had his sights set solely on Yusuke. Anger peaking, Aurora stepped in front of him. "Get away from him."

The silver-eyed man laughed. "Found a new brat to play with, have we?" he mocked.

Bearing her teeth, she flicked several shards of ice with her unbroken wrist. "Get. Away," she repeated slowly, dangerously.

Catching the shards and dropping them unceremoniously to the ground, he replied calmly, "Oh, no. I haven't found your weakness, have I?" He chuckled coldly. "I _thought_ that half-breed brat reminded me of someone." He paused, tapping his chin in feigned thought. "Now, what was his name? Ah, yes... Kuronue, wasn't it?"

"Do not say his name!" Aurora cried as two pairs of golden eyes narrowed in anger.

"So I've guessed correctly, then. Excellent. It will be all the more enjoyable when I kill him," he gestured to Yusuke, "knowing that you care so deeply for him. Pity it's only because of that dead bat."

For one brief moment, though long enough, anger blinded her. All that mattered was shutting him up, making him pay for those words. Kurama had seemingly felt the same, as both of them surged forward before better judgment could be made. Before another word could be spoken, any other action taken, Nikolai lashed out. He shoved Aurora backwards, causing her to slam into Yusuke, nearly knocking them both over. He gripped Kurama's forearm, however and did not let go. "That device she warned you to destroy," he spoke to Kurama, "do you know what else it is capable of?" Kurama did not know and did not bother with a reply; he knew he would be enlightened shortly.

"It also has the ability to grant the user with slight mind control." He grinned wolfishly at the red-headed fox. "Would you like a demonstration?" He didn't want for a reply. With his free hand, he pulled the round object from his pocket. As he closed his eyes, it began to light in a sinister color. In a matter of seconds, Kurama's eyes began to glow the same shade. "Now," Nikolai asked smoothly, opening his eyes, "who should you kill first? The unfit king you find so dear, or the beloved sister you've already lost once today? Oh, such choices." Kurama remained still. "I believe we'll begin with the boy. I still may kill _her_ myself."

Kurama pulled a new rose from his hair, instantly it became the trademark whip. "Kurama," came a slightly concerned outburst from three mouths, Hiei's, Yusuke's and Aurora's. He didn't appear to have heard them. He snapped the whip, as if in warning.

"No," Nikolai cut in, "not with that." Without speaking, Kurama's whip was a rose once more. As it was tucked back into his silvery red hear, it was exchanged for a seed. Upon his command, it became the Binding Fist of the Demonic Vine. "Much better."

Yusuke, watching in slight horror, was rather unsure what happened next and in what order. Three different movements were made. Yusuke was shoved to the side, Aurora taking his place in front of Kurama, with Hiei gripping the arm that was encased with the thorny vine, and Kurama moved to destroy anything in his path. "Stop, Yoko. This is insanity." Kurama did not speak, instead he wrenched his arm from the jaganshi's grip and swiped at his sister. She caught it with one hand, fingers curling around thorns and drawing blood. She stared unflinchingly at her twin. "Cease this."

"He cannot. That is the beauty of this lovely little gem," Nikolai interrupted brightly.

"Kurama," Hiei warned, moving to grip the fox's arm again, this time with much more force. He would trust Kurama with his life. However, at this moment, the man standing in front of him was not Kurama.

Yusuke watched, mouth open slightly. _What the...?_ Getting to his feet, he attempted to stand next to Aurora. "Kurama, what're you-"

"Get back, Detective."

Brown eyes flickered to crimson ones that were not focused on him. The owner of those brown eyes was beginning to fear the worst. Hiei refused to take his eyes off Kurama. That meant one thing, and one thing only. He not longer trusted him. That meant, also, that whatever that creep had done to him was working.

Aurora clenched the sword-like weapon wrapped around Kurama's hand. Blood began to drip to the ground, her hand coated in it. She didn't seem to notice it much though. Like Hiei, she had eyes for only one. "I'll not allow you to do this. You will never forgive yourself if you complete the order you have undoubtedly been given. You will not fight him. You will fight me," she informed the half-fox. "Hiei," she continued quietly, "you, Yusuke and the others need to concentrate on Nikolai. You must obtain that device and destroy it, at whatever cost."

Slowly, Hiei responded by releasing his tight grip on his friend and turning to face their real enemy, the others stepping forward as well. Yusuke raised his Spirit Gun, asking Hiei mentally, _Do you have a plan this time? I seem to be fresh out. I don't know if we can do this without those two. _

_Don't doubt yourself just yet, Detective. If we can get that round object and destroy it, we can win. Focus on that. We need to get our hands on it. I believe that may be one of the only ways we can right whatever has happened to the fox._

_ Alright, you go right, I'll take the left?_

_ Hn._

:-:-:-:-:

"Brother, you must listen to me. You have no idea what you are doing."

"Get out of my way. I have not been ordered to fight you. However, if you refuse to cease standing in my way of killing that half-human, I shall be forced to end you, as well," Kurama's voice was monotone and dead.

She refused to move. He couldn't quite manage to remove her hand from his weapon. For several moments, they stood mostly motionless, locked in a stare-down and battle of wills. Kurama was winning; she could not harm him... But if she didn't stop him, he might do something he would never forgive himself for; something no one would be able to fix this time... "Yoko, please." She didn't know what else to do. "You must remember..." Then suddenly, she had an idea. _Never forget._

A tiny flicker of recognition could be seen in those black eyes for just one fraction of a second, but it was enough. Trying again, she whispered it this time, "Never forget." It was working. She could only hope now that Nikolai hadn't taken notice of it yet.

:-:-:-:-:

Murkuro, Shishi, Jin, Hiei and Yusuke faced the man dressed in shredded black clothing. They formed a semi circle once again, just far enough away from the siblings so that they weren't included in it. Hiei had a feeling if anyone could break Kurama of whatever was holding his mind, Aurora could do it. He knew one definite trait they shared was seemingly infinite cleverness. She would find a way. She had to.

"Oh, and I'm going to hazard a guess and say that you want this?" Nikolai held up the key to this operation. Yes, they wanted it. Badly. And he wasn't going to be handing it over anytime soon.

:-:-:-:-:

A glittering golden green was beginning to break through the darkness. His eyes widened and narrowed in turn as he attempted to recognize her through the thick haze in his mind. He was sure he knew her. But... he just couldn't place any concrete memory of her face or features. Besides, he had a mission to complete. He cast a lingering glance at his target. He recognized that half-demon, too. They were friends. And yet, he was supposed to kill him. His resolve faltered further, and he eased the pressure he had on the sharp weapon in his hand. The fog lifted further at the hiss of pain the woman before him made. He turned back, realizing, not a moment too soon, that it was _Aurora_ standing in his path and that he was _hurting _her.

Jerking the weapon back from her and forcing it back into a seed, his now fully green eyes widened. Aurora snapped her bloody hand back behind her, just out of his sight. "Kurama," she asked, almost hesitantly, but she was sure he was back.

"Yes." He gazed into her eyes. "I'm... so sorry."

"You can make up for it by rejoining in this fight." Her eyes flitted to Nikolai and their friends meaningfully.

"Yes," he murmured, turning to face their opponent.

There was no doubt about it; they needed a miracle. Yusuke dodged another attack, only to come face to face with Nikolai again. Cursing, he tried desperately to avoid the attack. He couldn't. Hiei flitted forward as Yusuke was thrown violently backwards. He drew his sword, body facing his target. Hie eyes, however lingered on Yusuke, trying to ensure he was alright. Because of that, he missed his enemy's movement. "Hiei, no!"

It was Kurama who had shouted. It had also been his saving grace, turning a violent blow into one less detrimental to his heath. He was blown backwards, as Yusuke had been just a moment prior, electricity searing up and down his nerve endings.

As Yusuke got to his feet, his expression was one of simultaneous determination and defeat. It was looking more and more as though there was no killing this guy. He could withstand a Spirit Gun blast that could have killed Sensui and Toguro combined, Hiei's Dragon backed up by Aurora's best attack, Kurama in his Yoko form, all together with four other high-class demons. Suffice it to say, the outcome was not looking good for them.

With a sigh, he planned one last ditch effort. One that might get more than one of them killed. _Damn_... "Listen up," he called to his fighters, never taking his eyes away from Nikolai. "Here's what we're gonna do." He glanced at Hiei. "You know what to do, Hiei."

"Hn," he muttered with a curt nod.

As quickly as he could, he read the detective's mind to learn the battle plan, then, as he had done before, he telepathically informed the others. "We're ready when you are, Detective."

"Alright. Let's do this..."

Moving quickly, they all gathered behind Yusuke. "Alright, you asshole," he called to Nikolai, "This fight is between you and I."

"We'll kill each other like men, then?" he asked with a bark of a laugh. "Or rather, you'll die like one?"

"That's not what I said," Yusuke scoffed. He took several more steps forward, effectively separating his friends from the fight.

"Be ready," Kurama hissed. A round of slight nods were his answer.

"Very well." Nikolai murmured as he raised his hands to the sky.

"This is it," Aurora breathed.

"And you're certain you can do it?" Hiei hissed.

"Not at all, but it's the last chance we've got." She closed her eyes for a single moment. "You'll need to be quite swift; I doubt the connection will hold for more than a moment."

More nods. As Nikolai was engulfed entirely by electricity, he screamed, "Are you prepared to die, half-breed?"

"NOW!" Hiei and Yusuke cried at once.

Using every ounce of speed she contained, Aurora rushed at Nikolai. The blur which she consisted of came to an abrupt halt directly behind him. She lifted her hand and rested two fingers against the side of his temple. She winced as his electric energy began sizzling against her. Trying to ignore the searing pain, she began flashing images through his mind.

He faltered in his attack. This was their opportunity. Kurama snapped several thorny vines around Nikolai's body. Jin and Touya combined their attack, making a swirling funnel of jagged ice. Hiei engulfed his sword with purple flames and surged forward. Yusuke moved directly to Nikolai's left side.

The toushin reached into Nikolai's pocket just as Aurora's hold on his mind began to fail. "I'll be taking this," Yusuke spat with a crooked grin.

Nikolai was beginning to overpower Aurora. "Quickly, Yusuke!" she cried with urgency. "I cannot hold him any longer."

Nodding, Yusuke threw that damned device up into the air. "Now!"

Three arrows, a Spirit Gun blast, an exploding seed and shards of ice immediately descended upon the circular object of jewel encrusted stone. When it dropped unceremoniously to the ground, Hiei flitted to it, sinking his flame encased sword directly into it. A wailing screech split the air. All eyes snapped to its source. Nikolai stood a few feet in front of Aurora, emitting the most god-awful sound. He clutched the sides of his head as slowly, it separated, once again from his shoulders, and a deep wound gouged through his chest.

"Get back!" Aurora called, moving backwards from the dying man.

As soon as he head slipped from his neck, an explosion of bright yellow lightning extended from his body. Several shocked outbursts littered the air, though they were only just audible over the deafening explosion. They were thrown back several yards, some coming to rest against a tree, some a rock, others sliding to a stop.

Yusuke, who had been slammed into a boulder, winced as he gingerly separated himself from the ruble. "Everybody alright?" he called out.

As he received only four responses, he searched out each of them. Kurama, Jin, Touya and Mukuro had answered him. That left Hiei, Aurora and Shishi. Eyes flickering swiftly, they finally landed on a curled figure dressed in black. He wasn't moving. "Hiei!"

Rushing to his side, Yusuke knelt down. "Hey, Hiei," Yusuke murmured, reaching out a hand to grasp the Jaganshi's shoulder.

"Fine, Detective," was the quiet response. He was clutching his midsection, where Yusuke could clearly blood beginning to drip to the ground. "Just a... flesh wound."

Kurama had materialized at Yusuke's side. "I'll heal him, Yusuke."

The other nodded and resumed his search for the other two members of his group. His eyes landed on Aurora first. She was laying on her side, her back turned somewhat from him. He moved to her so that he could see her face. Her eyes were closed. "Hey," he murmured. Quickly, he took an account of her vital signs. Resting his ear against her chest and pressing his finger against the pulse point at her neck, he was reassured to find both indicated life.

Her eyes flickered slightly at his touch. "Just... tired," she whispered, and her eyes slid closed again.

"Urameshi!"

Yusuke jumped up and turned at the sound of Jin's voice. "What is it?"

Touya spoke this time, "There's been a fatality..."

Yusuke's stomach lurched. There was only one fighter left who hadn't yet been accounted for. Guilt, remorse and a sense of loss took hold on the young leader as he gazed listlessly upon his fallen ally. Though Shishiwakumaru had never been one Yusuke could consider a close friend, his death was a definite loss. The fact that he had been killed fighting beside Yusuke was evidence enough of the shared comradeship and something of trust between them.

Yusuke knelt in silence. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he offered quiet words of respect, gratitude and apology. "It was both an honor and a pleasure to fight at your side. You have my sincerest gratitude. I can only say, in great remorse, that I did not intend for it to end this way. I hope you will find peace and happiness in the afterlife; you deserve nothing less for your acts of bravery and loyalty."

"Well said," came a hushed murmured from the ice master to his left. The wind master on his right gave a solemn nod in agreement.

Kurama and Hiei moved to join the small group gathered around their fallen companion. Mukuro assisted Chu in joining, not far behind. Yusuke stepped away to help Aurora up and over, as well. Together, those who remained stood or sat in silence, allowing respect to be paid and thanks to be given.

As darkness once again descended upon the land, something akin to calm settled. Slowly, so slowly that it went unnoticed for a while, peace permeated the air. Silence in the wake of something so terrible was suddenly the most wonderful sound in the would.

With a whimper, not with a bang, life resumed its quite continuance. All it asked in return was that all who were left to witness it simply began learning to live again.

_End..._


	21. Fighting to Live Again, sequel preview

Fighting to Live Again

"Botan?" Yusuke called out, a smile forming as he realized it was her. "Haven't seen you in... years. How've you been? What brings you all the way out to my neck of the Demon World woods?"

Botan smiled weakly at him. "I've missed you," she told him. "I wish I was here just for a visit... Ningenkai is in trouble again..."

"Human World?"

"Yes. Kuwabara has contacted Koenma. He said his psychic awareness has been bothering him for weeks," Botan informed them, looking over the four now-somber faces.

Hiei looked meaningfully at Kurama, who stood beside him. _This is what we've been sensing._

The ex-spirit detective looked only slightly surprised with this news. "Saving the world?" he asked softly. "Well, that is, after all, what I do best," he laughed. Glancing at Aurora, he frowned, "Will you come with us?"

Startled, shimmering golden eyes moved slowly to meet intense brown ones. For a moment, she did not respond. Indecision flickered over her expression, several mixed emotions fighting one another for dominance. _Human World..._ Disgust lasted just a moment too long, and Yusuke was able to decipher it before it was quickly and skillfully hidden.

Disappointment seared through him though he tried his damnedest not to allow it to show on his face. He remembered Kurama telling him she'd never been there. He remembered how Hiei loathed to be there. Would she go simply because he asked her to?

:-:-:-:-:

"I'm sorry, Yusuke. My hands are tied."

He was on the verge of punching Koenma for the third time in his life. "So, what? You're just going to allow Human World to be destroyed?" Though the rage burned through his soul, he kept his tone even and did not yell.

Koenma looked at him, his expression one of utter defeat. "I'd be thrown from Spirit World if I did anything to interfere."

Furious brown eyes flashed, "You know, I used to know a guy who cared more about honor and loyalty than his standing as royalty. I guess I never really knew him at all."

Koenma blanched, "Yusuke, wait!" But the demon king was already walking away.

:-:-:-:-:

Pale eyes lost somewhere between gold and green narrowed in understanding. Pain was flickering at the corner of acknowledgement, threatening to diminish rational thought.

The war for survival had already begun. The Human World would suffer dearly for their indiscretions.

Those same pale eyes danced with poorly disguised indecision. A demon did not belong among these humans. However, something more important, something not often experienced by any demon, prevented any retreat whatsoever. _Love_.

:-:-:-:-:

"Run."

"But you can't take them alone!"

"We don't have a choice. I'll keep you safe; I'll hold them back as long as I'm able."

"But-"

"Go! There isn't much time."

There wasn't much time, at all. The doors were being broken down, windows were being shattered. The soldiers would be upon them in a mere matter of minutes. "Take the others somewhere safe. We don't all have to die tonight."

Indecision burned brightly in his eyes. The honorable thing would be to stay and fight. However, the other non-fighters of the group needed someone to protect them as they moved to find another safe house.

"For the love of all that is holy, _go_ already!"

:-:-:-:-:

He sighed, "There will be a war."

She shook her head, "I would not call it a war. That would imply both sides have an equal opportunity of victory."

"What would you call it, then?"

"A massacre."

:-:-:-:-:

Yusuke watched the sun set over the city he once knew quite well. Nothing was the same here anymore. The air was thick with death and destruction; it was faintly similar to the air of the Makai. Where buildings once stood, rubble lay useless in the fading light. The quite cries of those on the brink of death just barely reached his ears. He could do nothing to help them. He had failed them. He had sworn to protect this world from something just as this... and he had failed.

His watch shift was nearly over. Heaving a great sigh, he pulled another cigarette from the pack in his breast pocket. Lighting it and taking a long drag, he tried to focus his thoughts onto something more beneficial. Like the ever-dwindling food supply, or where the hell Kurama was and why he had missed the last three scheduled check-ins, or whether or not Hiei would be able to recover, or Aurora... Or how on earth they'd find their next safe house. None of them ever stayed safe for long; someone always found them.

With another cloud of smoke exhaled, tears began to well up in his eyes. _How the fuck did it end up like this?_

:-:-:-:-:

A raven-haired man, his once youthful face aged by hardship and weariness, knelt before the dark stone of a grave marker. It was simple, plain, with only a name inscribed on it. The air was frigid, as winter was beginning to take over for autumn. The snow seemed only fitting for this occasion.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered. _I can't do this anymore..._

:-:-:-:-:

_ Nearly twenty years have passed since the Kakai Barrier was taken down completely, and the Demon World has settled into a time closer to peace than it had ever seen, however not all is as it seems. In the face of another possible World War, word is leaked of demons moving freely into the Human Realm. Several Human World governments declare war against Demon World; an action that will spell the end of Ningenkai. Cities are falling, buildings are crumbling and death is lying heavy in its wake._

_ Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, Aurora and several of their demon comrades will take a stand beside old allies, partners and friends to defend a world that is quickly tumbling into ruin. In the face of this new danger, can they prevail or will they die trying?_

_**This is the sequel to Learning to Live Again. Please let me know what you think. I should have the first chapter up shortly. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)  
><strong>_

_**This story is somewhat based off an idea I was struck with while listening to the song The Only Hope for Me is You, by My Chemical Romance.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, any of its characters or its universe. I do not own the song The Only Hope for Me is You. I do not make any money off of this. I only own the plot of my story and the characters I've created for it.**_


End file.
